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by bluefirebrand 2 days ago
> does the person want to develop or practice a skill, or do they just want it done

I'm probably biased, but I think when it comes to professional work it should always, 100% of the time be the former. People who "just want it done" are the reason every piece of commercial software is becoming dogshit

> So far it seems that we can't all be good/capable at everything

Sure, but then stay the fuck out of the area I'm good at.

That's the whole thing. I earn money by building software. I spend money at a restaurant to buy food from people who are good at cooking.

If people who are good at cooking use AI to build their websites, then people like me don't have jobs, don't have money to buy food from them anymore. Specializing is how society functions. People no longer need my specialty thanks to AI? I can't get food anymore?

Kind of a shitty deal for me!
1 comments
FloorEgg 1 day ago
Whether or not it's a shitty deal is ultimately up to you.

For all of history the environment has put evolutionary pressure on living things. If you choose to make a deal with the universe that you get what you want without having to adapt to changing circumstances then you're going to get a shitty deal. If you embrace what's outside your control and adapt gracefully you will get a good deal.

What that means in this particular case with AI and your skills as an engineer I can't say. I don't mean anything specific by it. My point is more so that a big source of unnecessary suffering is wanting the universe to be something that it's not.

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bluefirebrand 1 day ago
> My point is more so that a big source of unnecessary suffering is wanting the universe to be something that it's not.

Thanks. I'll change my attitude about it so that when I'm inevitably starving on the streets I can look back and think "thank god I didn't suffer unnecessarily before when I was worried about this outcome"

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FloorEgg 1 day ago
That is not at all what I meant.

I mean that if you accept that the market demand for software development is evolving and you evolve with it you won't end up starving on the streets.

If you assume it's inevitable that you will become useless and starve then it's a lot more likely to happen.

There is a concept in racing "don't stare at the wall". It means when taking a corner at top speeds of you focus on what you're afraid you will crash into you're more likely to crash into it. So instead the idea is to look at where you want to go (around the corner).

So what I'm saying is that if you accept the universe for what it is and focus on what kind of life you want to have and what you need to do to have it you're more likely to get it.

It seems like there is unlimited demand for software, and software engineers who maintain skills relevant to the current market will find work.

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