[isolli]

But the usual way of learning the craft is broken. Experienced developers will now work with AI instead of hiring junior developers. Some exceptional individuals might still learn on their own, but the path from junior to senior, learning by doing, could vanish. That's my worry.

[Frieren]

> Some exceptional individuals might still learn on their own

And people with money/means. Children of software engineers may be able to learn the profession easier than others. The same goes for children with affluent parents that can pay for many years of education.

It seems a retreat back to a more medieval economy that excludes large parts of society.

[wiether]

The free content to learn how to code is still available on the Internet and it won't go away.

SE is one of the few professions that one can _learn_ for free, by themselves.

It could take longer than going into a fancy university, and it won't open corporate doors as easily, but basically anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can learn SE.

[ghaff]

Probably too B&W. But I’ve had a lot of discussion about this recently and the general consensus is that there’s something to it—especially developers who just got into the field solely because it’s where they thought the money was.

[darkwater]

And what's wrong with that?

[ghaff]

I'm not making a judgment, just describing a dynamic a lot of people claim to be seeing. One can reasonably assume that the most junior tier (for whatever combination of education, genuine interest, etc.) could potentially feel the impact most to the degree that LLMs really do have a disparate impact on junior people. It's a continuum of course. There are plenty of competent people who enter many fields because it's a job.

I'm also at least somewhat cautious about making "passion" (or whatever) a prerequisite for working in general.

[shinycode]

You’re right, many, many people choose the path of least resistance to learn. Instead of digging a subject it’s easy to see the answer unfold …