I refresh LinkedIn and see another post: "Junior roles are dead." Another thread on Reddit: "AI is replacing entry-level devs." Another think piece predicting the end of the junior developer.
Then GitHub's former CEO says something completely different.
Thomas Dohmke told "The Pragmatic Engineer" that junior engineers still bring massive valueânot despite AI, but because of it.
That aligns with everything I've seen going from junior to team lead.
The Fear Is Real (And Valid)
If you're early in your career right now, I get it. The job market feels brutal. Every posting wants 3+ years of experience. AI tools are getting better. Senior devs are saying they're 10x more productive with Copilot.
So where does that leave you?
Staring at that "Apply" button, wondering if you're already obsolete before you even start.
I've been thereâdifferent context, same fear. I remember thinking I'd waited too long, learned the wrong stack, missed my window.
What Juniors Actually Bring
Dohmke's point wasn't just feel-good encouragement, rather it was strategic.
Younger developers adopt AI tools faster. They bring fresh perspectives, recent learning, and don't carry the "this is how we've always done it" mindset.
What that actually looks like in practice:
Fresh ideas and willingness to experiment
You haven't been burned by five failed rewrites. You're not attached to the old way. You see possibilities where others see risk.
AI fluency from recent education
You learned to code with AI tools. That's not a weaknessâit's native fluency in the tools shaping the industry.
Open-minded approach to new tools
When someone suggests trying a new framework or approach, you don't have years of muscle memory fighting against it.
Energy that pushes teams forward
You ask "why?" when everyone else just accepts "because that's how it works." That questions systems. That creates momentum.
Diverse backgrounds shaping better solutions
You didn't all come from the same CS program or bootcamp cohort. You bring perspectives from music, teaching, healthcare, designâexperiences that matter when building for real users.
đ§ Engineering vs. Coding
Here's where Dohmke's point gets sharper.
Engineering still requires craft and systems thinking. But future engineers combine prompting skills with open source to solve problems faster.
The coding skill matters. But engineering means building complex systemsâwhether you write every line or orchestrate AI to help.
The new generation of developers will ship faster than I ever did.
But they will need to understood the why, the architecture, the tradeoffs. The AI just helps them type faster.
That's engineering.
đ What I Learned Going from Junior to Lead
The fastest-growing developers on my teams weren't always the most technically gifted.
They were the ones who:
- Asked questions when everyone else stayed quiet
- Tried new approaches instead of copying old patterns
- Shared what they learned, even when it felt basic
- Elevated everyone by bringing curiosity into the room
One junior dev I mentored was terrified they weren't "technical enough" because they used AI tools heavily. But they became the person everyone went to for architecture questionsâbecause they could explain complex systems clearly, having learned by asking better questions.
Your edge isn't knowing everything. It's learning fast and thinking clearly.
đ§ If You're Worried About the Junior Market
You're still needed.
Companies that understand growth know they need fresh perspectives alongside experience. They need people who challenge assumptions. They need energy and curiosity driving the team forward.
Yes, the market is tough. Yes, you'll face rejection. Yes, some companies are shortsighted about junior roles.
But the best teams? They're actively looking for what you bring.
â So What Should You Focus On?
Not just technical skills. Not just prompting. Something beyond code.
Focus on:
Systems thinking
Understand how pieces connect. Why this API structure? Why this state management pattern? Why this deployment strategy?
Communication
Explain your decisions. Write clear tickets. Ask better questions. Engineering is a team sport.
Problem-solving with tools
Use AI, Stack Overflow, documentation, senior devsâwhatever gets you unstuck and moving. The skill is knowing when to use what.
Building in public
Ship projects. Write about what you learn. Show your thinking, not just your code.
Curiosity over credentials
Keep asking "why?" Keep trying new things. Keep sharing what you discover.
đ Permission You Don't Need (But I'll Give Anyway)
You don't need to know everything before you're "qualified."
You don't need to code without AI assistance to be a "real" developer.
You don't need years of experience before your perspective matters.
You're ready enough right now. Not because you're perfect, but because engineering teams need what you bring: fresh eyes, new energy, and willingness to challenge how things work.
The junior role isn't disappearing. It's evolvingâand you're exactly the kind of developer who thrives in that evolution.
What are you focusing on right nowâtechnical skills, prompting, or something beyond code? I'd love to hear what's working for you.
Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash
Top comments (19)
This honestly gave me a bit of hope. As someone still trying to enter the field, itâs easy to get overwhelmed by all the âjuniors are doomedâ posts online.
The part about curiosity and asking better questions being real strengths for juniors really clicked.
Thanks for sharing this, needed the reminder.
Great to hear @itsugo! With every new technology, the "doomed" posts arrive. But as history proves, the ones who adapt survive. Be the ones who adapts.
Great points, but is AI also compressing the ladder? The starter tasks juniors learned on are being automated, and many teams lack mentorship bandwidth. If low-risk work shrinksâand seniors adopt AI tooâwhere do juniors get reps, and what's the incentive to hire them?
@voncartergriffen That's a really valid point and good that you mention this! I think with energy, fresh mindset, and curiosity are the things that will set juniors apart from seniors.
And you're right: AI is compressing the ladder, and the mentorship bandwidth crisis is real.
But the "low-risk" work isn't disappearing, it's shifting. Juniors aren't writing boilerplate anymore: they're reviewing AI-generated code, debugging edge cases it missed, and refactoring the quick fixes that created tech debt. That's actually better learning than copying Stack Overflow patterns. Where juniors get reps now:
The incentive? Teams without juniors are building knowledge silos. When only seniors understand the system, you've created a bottleneck that kills growth. Smart companies see the pipeline as velocity, not just future talent.
But you're right that many teams don't think long-term. The market's harder than it should be because of that short-sightedness.
Great post! As a junior dev just starting out, Iâm learning to combine curiosity, fast learning, and tools like AI to actually contributeâeven without years of experience. Itâs motivating to see that fresh perspectives and energy matter as much as technical skills. Excited to keep experimenting and growing!
Thank you @alejandrotg-code ! Definitely, keep it up!
Your honest gave me a hope
Very great speech. It really encourage me to keep going although my fear to be outdated and give me a new way to use AI in my cursus.
Thanks @shadowchrist100 , I appreciate it and glad that it encourages you.
For as long as Cars never replaced Bicycles, AI will never replace junior devs. It will only change the learning curve.
@tochukwu_dev I think so too. There's a tendency going on currently that juniors will disappear and will become obsolete, but once we get over the hype of vibe-coding and the likes, it will (hopefully) turn out to be the opposite and there's a lot of opportunity to grow and learn for newcomers. Yes, the initial learning phase will be a lot different than when I started 8 years ago but it's just different.
Uplifting post, but after reading this it might now be the seniors rather than the juniors who become fearful ;-)
Hahahah, good point @leob! I guess the advantage that seniors have is that we were there before the age of AI, so we have that critical thinking down (hopefully). But yes, I'm definitely keeping a close eye on the new generation of devs.
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This is a great article,thanks for sharing this
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