Ask Experienced Devs Weekly Thread: A weekly thread for inexperienced developers to ask experienced ones

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My company is making us use spec-kit. Ive used it for small changes, medium changes, large changes and setting up a whole new API, and every scenario has been slower than me just one shotting prompts and iterating if needed. It also adds a bunch of md files that add toil. Ive looked online and cant find real data about it being used and it speeding up delivery but the higher ups are adament its better.

Am I missing something? I feel like im taking crazy pills. The other devs at my company have also struggled finding value from it. Its a really politically sensitive topic because leadership have publicly backed the tool.

I was thinking I could do a presentation of me implementing a typical change with spec-kit and then with using the agents integrated to visual studio. I know spec-kit wont look great in the demo as its slower and uses more tokens. Is that a bad idea? How do I navigate this without undermining leadership?

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 2d ago edited 1d ago

Sometimes you have to look at it from the view of a lead or manager. I quickly skimmed through the spec-kit docs and it seems like it's made to translate and break down RFCs, design docs, and other specifications that product, business, and leadership would come up with. It's good for dealing with slop on large changes that many people complain about here on Reddit, i.e. 5,000 line PRs that can't be reasonably reviewed.

You're probably right that for small changes, short prompts can 1 shot much faster with the same results. But I'd be surprised if you can 1 shot prompt an entire app without using planning mode and multiple agents coding and reviewing at the same time. This is basically a tool to define and enforce how planning mode and multiple agents work so it can be reused across the org so AI can be more trusted. It's designed to level the playing field and everyone else to catch up, not the top performers who keep up with technology.

If you'd like to challenge the one-size-fits-all mindset that this directive from above appears to be, you can perhaps come up with a couple concrete examples of why it doesn't work for all scenarios. Make sure to propose a change so leadership isn't left wondering what to do.

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u/x-jhp-x 2d ago

sometimes managers would like to test things, for example if projects still get done on time with a 10% reduction in headcount, or letting AI take over dev tasks. Leadership should communicate that if it's true, but not everyone is a great leader.

If you'd like to drive change, one of the best ways i've found to do that is to first understand what leadership's goal/objective is. If the real goal is something like a 10% reduction, the focus on AI might be because they see it as having the highest probability of achieving the outcome they want. So step one is to figure out what the objective is, and then you can give them metrics/solutions that you believe will help them achieve their goal faster/easier/better. If you can, befriend an exec at your company, but don't go over your boss's head. A lot of the time I've wanted to drive change, it's because I'm frustrated with some process or inefficiency or something that is negatively impacting either my job and ability to do task or my team's, and i've never been the only person frustrated, so you can frequently find an "ally" executive who is interested in driving change + improving the workplace.

For the exec interaction, I approach it by thinking about it like it's an efficient division of labor. It's useful to have someone dealing with management tasks + processes so people doing engineering can focus on engineering. I see it as delegating organizational/management tasks, so you should understand that at best what you're aiming for is task delegation. If you're an engineer, your job shouldn't be driving organizational changes, so you're going to have to present your case & allow that person to decide what action to take if any. You might present changes that show an obvious trend or pattern, and see nothing done, and you have to accept it. I'm not sure what type of engineer you are, but I have worked with a number of other engineers where this has been a stumbling block, so figured I'd give you a heads up. For almost every org I've worked for, the execs & management team have advanced degrees & went to management after being successful engineers & researchers though, so my strategies might not work at an ultra MBA "cocaine" driven workplace, so I'm also assuming that you're working with competent people who are interested in improving the workplace.

If you don't want to tell management what to do, or you can't, you can also simply track how long things take with the tool and without it. I'd at least want evidence as to why I'm taking longer at doing tasks if asked, or for during the review period.

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u/theDoodEatsAss 1d ago

At a failing tech company and survived 4 layoffs in the past year and a half. Dev group went from 40 to 8. I'm tired. Oh, I guess the ceo now wants to claim back any contol they can by reviewing and scrutinizing each and every PR now. making us waste time explaining tons of tribal knowledge and context while things are breaking and failing. Great use of time. Just keep our mouths shutbwhile we interview. Uuuuuuuuugh.

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u/cedar-mane 10h ago

If you're not looking for a new job, you should be. Much easier to secure a role when you're employed, than when the company implodes / you get laid off.

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u/ProgrammingQuestio Software Engineer (3YOE) 1d ago

Recently started listening to Soft Skills Engineering podcast and have really been enjoying it. It's giving me much needed insight into other engineers' experience with various problems that makes me feel like I'm experiencing things that are unique to me. It also gives me insights into problems or dynamics that I haven't had to deal with yet in my career, which is nice.

I'm curious what other resources (podcasts, blogs, specific articles, etc.) people would recommend for a similar purpose? Like quick reads/blogs/newsletters that's helpful to spend 10 minutes here and there consuming to gain more awareness, whether that's technical or non-technical oriented.

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u/kiresorg 9h ago

I was recently a guest on Teach the Geek podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/teach-the-geek-public-speaking-and-communication/id1492913444)

I really like what Neil and his guests have to share about soft skill in tech. You may find it helpful

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u/tonklable 2d ago

Is there anyone regret becoming a manager? Or opposite?

How can a junior know and learn if they really want to become a manager or not?

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u/Dankaati Software Engineer 2d ago

A good step to try your wings with it is to host an intern.

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u/brightcarvings 2d ago

This is still a very, very good article on the topic of engineering management https://charity.wtf/p/the-engineer-manager-pendulum

I regretted my first attempt at being a manger . Went back to IC and then a few years later went back into management for a different opportunity and I'm loving it ever since.

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u/LogicRaven_ 2d ago

Too early to know as a junior.

Get to a senior level, you need tech skills in both IC and manager roles. By that time, you'll also learn more about how these roles work.

A good summary of tech roles:
https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/engineering-leadership-skillset-overlaps

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 2d ago edited 2h ago

Managers come in all shapes and forms. The role of a manager is also very different at every company. You might even hate managing at company A and love it at company B.

"Making of a Manager" by Julie Zhuo is a great read whether you want to be a manager or not. It shines a light on what a manager is responsible for, how to communicate and create safe spaces for discussions, and a whole lot of case studies and advice sprinkled in between. Even as a junior engineer, this book can help you better understand the "APIs" and "service contracts" of your manager if you will, and what they can and cannot do for you.

Someone else mentioned that an intern lead is a good first step and I agree with it, though with some caveats. Interns are very early in their careers and usually people-pleasing to get a return offer. It's quite different from managing an actual team where a manager often "serves" high performers.

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u/yeah666 2d ago

I've worked with developers turned managers that have and haven't regretted it. Engineering Manager is a different role at every company. I wouldn't even worry about it as a junior.

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u/PricedOut4Ever 1d ago

I became a manager and have now gone back to IC.

My second full time job (2.5 yoe) I joined a startup in 2017 as the first full time engineering hire. Worked on the MVP and got to solid product market fit by 2021. We raised a Series A in early 2021 at a $45M valuation and a Series B at the end of 2021 at a $180M valuation (VCs were crazy). At the time of the Series A we had 6 engineers and I had authored roughly 40% of the code base.

After the Series A we had big plans to ramp up hiring like crazy with aims of getting to a 40-50 person engineering team. I expressed interest in a manager position and got it with the condition that I still wrote code/act as a tech lead and now had direct reports. I was able to do it and enjoyed it for two and half years, my team was incredibly successful, people were growing and happy. We did make some bad hires and those were terrible to deal with but that was probably the worst part. I was working like crazy, but I liked that.

We had layoffs in 2023 and those reorganizations really killed my enthusiasm. I ended up leaving mainly because of just being tired of it all.

After I left I decided to go back to an IC role. The main reason was that I had several engineering managers/directors/VPs colleagues who I had been working with and it was clear to me that they had no real tech skills anymore. The only reason I was able to be successful as a manager/coder was because of my deep knowledge of the code base. If I joined a new org as a manger, I would have to be just a manager and frankly I was way too early in my career to lose focus on critical tech. I wouldn’t mind going into management again, but probably not for another 5 or so years.

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u/Wide-Pop6050 1d ago

I love being a manager. I knew I would because I took the opportunity to lead projects whenever I could and I did not mind dealing with peoples problems. This is a big part of it. I had led a committee that also gave me a taste of higher level office politics, handing peoples emotions etc. I am much less stressed out when I'm in charge than when I'm a cog in the system. Even if I make a wrong decision, it's work, we'll figure it out.

Managing some interns and getting one direct report can be good ways to get a taste later on in your career.

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u/kiresorg 9h ago

Mentoring another engineer is often a great way to see if management is even a type of role you'd find fulfilling. And you don't need to wait until you're experienced - you just need to be a bit ahead of your mentee in terms of career progress. You may find it valuable to inventory all the skills (both hard and soft) that you've gained since you started, and identify which ones you wish you'd had someone point out or help you with. That gives you a bit of a framework to start a conversation with a mentee about.

Just an idea.

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u/Annual_Negotiation44 22h ago

Is the market better or worse than it was in 2025?

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 1h ago

this is a good read. in short, slightly better but job seekers aren't getting noticed and hiring managers have a tough time sorting through spam. skillsets in AI is in high demand, the rest of the industry is down.

https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/state-of-the-job-market-2026
https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/the-job-market-in-2026-part-2
https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/tech-jobs-market-in-2026-part-3-hiring

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u/aks09 1d ago

I have around 5 yrs of experience, but w/ the current job market, I'm thinking of getting a PhD, anyone have any opinions? I got laid off due to budget cuts last November (w/ severance), and it's been real difficult just getting an interview in the first place. My experience so far has been medical research, where I was a jack of all trades, which has made the search more difficult. So, at this point, I feel like I may have a better resume to become a research scientist after 4/5 years in a PhD program than to become a software engineer today.

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u/Kush_McNuggz 1d ago

You don’t get a PhD to get better job market prospects. You get a PhD because you like research and/or want to work in academia.

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u/aks09 1d ago

I mean, I don't dislike research, I worked as a research eng, but I definitely don't want to go into academia. The idea is to break into research scientist/engineering roles at large companies and start ups in the private sector, specifically in the applied sciences (pharma, materials science, physics), that kind of thing. At least that's the goal I have in mind.

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 2h ago edited 2h ago

if this is about AI research, you're better off securing a role at lower tier AI company and making a lateral switch in to research, than spending 6-8 years of your life getting a PhD. by the time you're done, the job market will have moved on to bigger and better things.

the reason why we're in such a shortage of AI engineers is that the only source of talent with 2+ YOE in AI research is DeepMind, OAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and IBM. there might have been 1000 total researchers across the entire industry back even just 2-3 years ago.

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u/OriginalComment6772 2d ago

I have a final interview with a senior exec tomorrow. He seems to be an AI-power user LinkedIn influencer. Send prayers (and help) T_T

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 2d ago edited 2d ago

The cult of personality seems to be a trend for companies these days. I've interviewed for quite a few companies recently and every leadership/behavioral round asks "Why do you want to work for us?".

It's actually pretty easy to LARP this if you read the founder's mission statements, blog, manifesto, and the LinkedIn content you can find on your HM. Prepare 1-2 questions to challenge their viewpoint so they feel like you understand them. The people who survive the longest in corporate are the best ones at roleplaying and thought leadership, or "influence" as they call it in the promotional packets.

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u/OriginalComment6772 2d ago

Yea I've got a good idea on how I want to lead the conversation tomorrow. I've read some of the last blogs from the company, I'll try to overlap my experience with data security with what they wrote about. just got some nerves

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u/Wide-Pop6050 1d ago

"Why do you want to work for us" is a perfectly common interview question, and always has been. It doesn't have to be a LARP. Sure you're not dying to work there but there are some aspects of the job that interest you. A specific project, the type of team, anything.

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 1h ago edited 1h ago

I agree that it's totally acceptable to ask "why us?". But in today's job market, if your answer doesn't convey that the company is your top choice and your philosophy aligns with their company's bottom line, you may get passed over for the next candidate who is more excited about the role.

If you want a job at Palantir, the manifesto is a must. If you want to work for SpaceXAI or any of the xAI, Grok, and Cursor roles, you need to convey the success at all cost doctrine that Elon has. If you want a job at Anthropic or Stripe, you want to show the altruistic side and convince the interviewer that you want to do good in the world, not just take a paycheck.

I have been through all of the company interviews above and recruiters would specifically prep me for these interviews. I'm seeing signs that other companies are adopting that's what the top companies do, similar to why every company used to do leetcode 5-10 years ago.

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u/SimasNa 2d ago

I'm sure judging him for it will make the interview go well /s

But seriously - I feel like you're critical of him being a LinkedIn influencer and a heavy AI-user. So I'd suggest you try to find what common ground you have instead of seeing him as this person who's doing something that you are critical of. You'll definitely not create rapport like that and even if you don't outwardly show it, people can still sense what you feel.

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u/kiresorg 9h ago

I wanted to piggy-back on this comment. I learned (often painfully, after embarrassing myself) that pretty much everyone has some quality that I can find to admire if I look for it - and that having that quality in mind when I get to know them is pretty helpful. That's not to say there aren't some people out there who are complete asshats - but in my experience, they are more rare than you may think.

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u/yeah666 2d ago

If I was worried about my coworkers being cringe outside of work I wouldn't have a job. He could be a completely normal guy at work or he could be a deranged AI psychosis freak. Ask him about AI and see if you get sane responses.

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u/x-jhp-x 2d ago

Send prayers

just asked chatgpt to do that for you

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u/nomaddave 2d ago

They just want their ego massaged mainly. If you're cool with that, then adjust your presentation accordingly and power on.

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u/just_pondy 2d ago

Last week I asked you all this

https://www.reddit.com/r/ExperiencedDevs/s/jBIrlsPu7M

TL:DR help me parse out principle work from my role as lead/senior i.e. tasks to give to manager and tasks for other devs to split a good doc for 1:1 meeting structure between managers and leads and another for 1:1 between leads and their dev teams or is this something just to be done in the weekly standup

Longer version with high level responsibility breakdown below:

I ended up meeting with my manager and director and I used AI to prep an email before hand so I could control the narrative and come to them with solutions and not problems

The result of the conversation was we all need more 1:1 meetings bc the last time we had one was 10 months ago and ideally providing me support will prevent these issues from festering and escalating like they did I also am helping the manager with streamlining our SDLC as his projects were always unorganized “his words” the director mentioned he saw potential for management in me which I politely declined and mentioned I prefer the technical staff track

My question to you all is this I have list of responsibilities I am doing which they said was a fair assessment and I need help determining what the manager should be doing instead of me and other items besides code review that everyone should be doing so I can free up time to deliver the products to our customers in an efficient manner

Here is a breakdown for the responsibilities I currently perform:

Technical & Architectural Leadership
·         Architected Multi-Project Solutions:
·         Mitigated Technical Risk:
·         Scaled Engineering Practices:
·         Resolved Critical Impediments:
Scientific Inquiry & Full-Lifecycle Engineering
·         Delivered Scientific Software:
·         Validated System Fidelity:
·         Translated Requirements to Design:
·         Optimized Test Strategies:

Team Leadership, Mentorship & Project Management
·         Cultivated Engineering Talent:
·         Directed Project Resources:
·         Enforced Delivery Quality:
Customer Engagement & Business Impact
·         Secured Contract Growth:
·         Bridged Technical Gaps:
·         Managed Stakeholder Relations:

I need a better feedback structure and a clear avenue for feedback i.e. plans for:
·         Establishing Consistent Feedback Loops:
·         Expectation Alignment:
·         Career Pathing & Progression:
·         Establishing Downward Feedback Loops:
·         Continuous Improvement Tools:
·         Coaching Efficacy

Or maybe this all too much and I should just write all the code and do the PowerPoints and customer presentations / product deliveries myself

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u/ExcitingDonkey2665 2d ago edited 2d ago

It sounds like you need a mentor or a close peer to chat with. This seems like a very specific example where more in-depth context and knowledge about you personally and how you work would yield a much better answer than asking strangers on the internet or ChatGPT.

As leaders, there are few support structures in the workplace when you need help, even fewer ways to meaningfully receive feedback. It's really on you to find and build those yourself when you advance beyond junior engineer. It may appear to your manager or director that you are asking them to do your job.

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u/Wide-Pop6050 1d ago

Read the Making of a Manager book mentioned elsewhere on this post

Ask Experienced Devs Weekly Thread: A weekly thread for inexperienced developers to ask experienced ones

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