[MilnerRoute]

You have to consider that you're wrong that it's just 36 months until your usefulness is 0. (I mean, why not 72 months?) You just don't know that with that level of certainty.

One scenario: some AI-written code makes a horrific mistake that makes the news. There's a huge backlash, and a number of companies decide they're more comfortable with human programmers. (Or at least, human programmer reviewing the code, or writing the code with an AI assistant.) Or for that matter, that there's legacy code at old-fashioned companies that just never got around to grafting on AI-powered programming tools. Bottom line: I think there will still be jobs for programmers, far beyond your three-year timeline.

A better question is: what do you want to do? If you really want to be a programmer, you could try "future-proofing" your skillset. (For example, going into AI programming -- the one job title that's going to increase in an AI-dominated future.)

My other bit of advice: start saving money now. Everyone should do this at your age. There's huge tax advantages to putting money into retirement accounts -- and it just grows and grows over the decades. (But also, if you're truly worried about your high-paying career ending -- then start socking it away now.)