[rodrigodlu]

Hey, Merry Christmas!

I did invest my time on more specific technologies, not following the mainstream, I accepted a 35% cut, but on smaller and promising small company that smells like startup, but it's actually an small business sharply focused on some types of customers. No VC funding.

I'm also a father of a daughter and I'm "training" her to understand that she needs to sell something that is not abstract.

As a computer scientist, I still sell implementations in form of code, but I dearly assumed many years ago that this (abstract product X concrete product) could be the difference to put food on my table - and now on my daughter's table - or not.

I'm far from highly successful because I'm still fighting this urge to just focus on code, but luckily that understanding above make me talk to any kind of person that is not a coder as well. Understanding business in general, meet concrete needs on different types of industries and so on.

I'm not from the US, so take that into account. I was near shoring to the US, now I'm doing that, but to the EU. I moved to a different market.

Also I'm fully invested in using AI a lot. With that I feel as a senior dev that indeed I don't need as many juniors as before, and I dearly miss having some junior dev to ask the "dumb" questions that I forgot to ask myself sometimes. AI still does not fill that role.

What helped me with AI is not caring as much about the number of LOC as before, as long I met the product's needs.

I hope you can find some comfort, keep your temper cool, so your daughter can feel that as well. That she has at least someone to hold and float.

My best wishes and I hope that 2026 could bring better luck.