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Ask HN: What do I do now that software engineering is dead?

5 points| eerichmond33 | 5 days ago

I truly believe that most hard skills i.e. coding, math, etc are just gone in the near future... or at least so scarce that it would be extremely optimistic to think you could land that job.

I have no idea how to handle this from a career perspective. I'm getting my masters, so it isn't like I have job experience and can easily transition into a broader management role.

I'd love to hear how you are thinking about this.

6 comments

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zafka|5 days ago

Hi, I sort of wandered into my career. I started in telecom due to a co-op, and then jumped to a cool job making computers for blind people that was both closer to my home, but also offered the opportunity to see many parts of the business. I ended up working on electronics and software in the medical device field. If one has the aptitude for it, I think jobs that are closer to the hardware will have a much longer shelf life. Get a copy of "Horowitz and hill", if you find that book entertaining, you should be fine.

kerlue|5 days ago

I believe there will be increased demand for in-house software engineering. Anecdotally, I’m seeing a trend where companies are revisiting the buy vs. build decision. They are slowly chipping away at expensive third-party SaaS solutions by building in-house applications. This allows them to build what the business needs instead of trying to modify SaaS solutions to fit their requirements. I believe AI will increase productivity but not replace engineering.

anupshinde|5 days ago

I don't think software engineering is going to die. Coding, as we know it, is going to change a lot. Short-term pain, but in the long term, we are likely to see an explosion of software. Having said that, AGI could change things - but then every profession would be dead.

Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfMAtaocvJw

bityard|5 days ago

The invention of electric power tools did not put all carpenters out of work, only the ones who refused to adapt to them.

stevenalowe|5 days ago

Imagine the carnage and pushback if electric power tools misbehaved like LLMs…