[softwaredoug]

We're in a situation where junior side of the software job market has really dried up. My question is whether the junior side will ever come back? Will we ever have tech companies like we've had, with massive intern -> junior pipelines, gradually developing senior devs? Or will there by a narrower pipeline, with fewer senior devs working with AI tools?

An optimistic take is that by automating a lot of mundane work, our level of craftsmanship and creativity can increase. That we can have a much higher bar for quality and professionalism.

Unfortunately it will also mean a lot of junior folks may never get back into software jobs.

[nottathrowaway3]

> Unfortunately it will also mean a lot of junior folks may never get back into software jobs.

Why do you suppose this age-based partitioning is going to happen?

There are a lot of senior people who are less effective than bright juniors. Being a good software engineer can always be learned. I think what's more likely is that the quality bar in general will be raised across all age bands.

[softwaredoug]

I don't at all mean "junior" or "senior" as "age" but capabilities. I know lots of young senior/staff :) And plenty of new developers in their 40s plus.

[claritise]

At this point these titles really have become pretty meaningless... A good developer will build and use the tools they have access to, a bad developer will fall behind.