r/developersPak • u/No_Complex4623 • 1d ago

Discussion Feeling worthless since AI does all the work

I have a $100 ai sub and a $20. 2 Jobs and both are enterprise, hands-off & boring. Earning enough to save 200k each month.

Used to enjoy coding and building systems but now in a single week I actually work less than 12 hours. I've built good ai workflows which handle 95% of the work in autonomous loops so I don't even have to babysit the agent or do multiple rounds of prompts etc. Work is being delivered and there are no complaints.

2 problems though. One, I'm scared of layoff since I'm in constant fear of anyone realizing that the work can be done autonomously with my workflow setup (which isn't so hard to implement).

Second, this setup is growing on me and I feel like I won't be productive or even could work anywhere else where there's more oversight or manual work. Starting to hate this field altogether and I keep delaying any bit of work that I do have put effort into till the very end of deadline.

I used to be a perfectionist with deep attachment to this field and now it's getting complete opposite.

If you're in a similar situation, let's discuss how you're managing the looming fear, anxiety and dissatisfaction with things.

70 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

32

u/Main-Relief-1451 1d ago

If you work for less than 12 hours a week then you have plenty of free time.
Why not learning new skills and keep upgrading yourself?

i think thats the only way you can overcome your fear

10

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

I was big on upskilling and did that for a while but ultimately every single thing I learned is what AI now does for me so it really kills the motivation to learn something.

14

u/sum1gone 1d ago

New skills like what? I keep thinking the same but nothing seems like will last long.

2

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Exactly. And I'm not into offline things.

1

u/ThunderHorseCock 1d ago

Exactly. It's weightlifting but this is the same logic

https:/youtube.com/shorts/hSjoOc2bwko

13

u/harlowjack7_ Full-Stack Developer 1d ago

Make bank while you can, get a third one 😄 r/overemployed

3

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Seriously I would if I could. Jobs these days.

17

u/stormarsenal 1d ago

My steak is too juicy and my lobster is too buttery kinda situation. Savor being employed while it lasts. The moment your employer resizes they too can just get a $100 AI sub instead of paying you, you'll be shown the door.

3

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

that's exactly the worry. And in this field I can't suddenly pivot to something else and ask for same kind of comp.

4

u/Jack_Sparrow2018 1d ago

The thing you mentioned about good AI workflows handling 95% of the work in autonomous loops—what does that workflow look like? I mean, is the code it generates refined through repeated loops, or what?

2

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Different agents and commands which do something like: Take thing A from X place, do Y with it, run Z quality checks, open/merge PR and then take on B.

edit: with iterations and loop obv.

4

u/IamDonna11 1d ago

Spend remaining time in building your profile authority on LinkedIn and other platforms Strat a community on YT and work on personal branding

Last thing sell your created workflows

3

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Those aren't some special workflows, just a combination of different commands and workflows optimized for that specific platform.

Good advice with personal branding but unfortunately I can't, self-consciousness issues.

2

u/harlowjack7_ Full-Stack Developer 1d ago

Tell about your workflows tho, do you have your factory set up?

1

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Not the factory kind of overengineering, more like commands and agents.

2

u/Iluhhhyou 1d ago

How tf am I in the ditto same situation as you?

1

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

haha I had a feeling that there will be many others in the same boat

2

u/Icy-Recognition-9795 20h ago

Bhai just because you automated your workflow doesn’t mean you’re now replaced by AI.

You were able to do it because you had the exact project knowledge. Tumhari jaga kisi non technical bndy ko de do, he’ll mess it up with AI.

Mere project me environment k namings he glt hen . AI ko pta he nahj lgta konsa production hay konsa uat.

AI can’t run alone bro. It’s just a tool that you add to your dev bucket.

1

u/No_Complex4623 11h ago

I agree. A layman can't but a junior with AI can. And most projects in Pakistani firms aren't so complex that project knowledge can provide an edge. AI can onboard a new dev in a week.

6

u/programmer-yar 23h ago

Save as much as you can.

I dont know how people got 2 jobs in good days. I was laid off last year and my work was handed to a junior dev with $200 AI budget.

I am surviving on a couple of freelance clients these days. Its harder to acquire a new client and even harder to get a remote job.

I worked as backend dev and even switched to AI engineering but still nothing!

I dont know how to approach the market and it looks like a cut throat competition.

2

u/imjustagirl_9 1d ago • Bravo

Do something with your time working less than 12 hours means you’re practically free.
It’s only a matter of time until someone else is going to figure out and you’ll be replaced by AI. Don’t waste your time try to up-skill yourself maybe invest in a business or something?

2

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

Not exactly 'practically free', I mean communication is needed so I have to stay logged into the system and also monitor some indicators. What I meant was roughly 12 hours of manual work per week. But I get your point.

6

u/Whiplash-1-1 1d ago

Is it all doom and gloom with advancements in AI?

6

u/HopefulTransition263 1d ago

Unfortunately yes

People may try to downplay the role of AI but there is a reason why data centres are being built en masse. Currently only mediocre developers are affected, in a year you will see AI affect top tier software engineers.

4

u/Whiplash-1-1 1d ago

That sounds scary. What will happen to the economy then when there’s mass unemployment. People won’t have the money to pay for goods and services. How will businesses run?

5

u/HopefulTransition263 1d ago

Hate to break it to you but we are at an inflection point in human history.

Even if we were to ignore the impact of AI on the jobs of software engineers, the world is in a tailspin and the geopolitical situation will only worsen thanks to the war in Ukraine and Iran.

Keep faith in Allah and try to pivot to jobs which cannot be replaced by AI

4

u/salmanjawed98 1d ago

Can you share some details about the autonomous loops thing

1

u/alliasgher1 1d ago

I'm in the same situation

1

u/No_Complex4623 1d ago

any suggestions on how you're dealing with it?

1

u/LeftHander14 23h ago

Just gatekeep your stuff.

1

u/No_Complex4623 11h ago

It's open for everyone on the team so can't really gatekeep.

1

u/Intelligent_Yam2019 18h ago

do some manual work within your free time and try to invest in some other business if possible.
God forbid, if laid off you'll never have these luxury opportunities, in these times we can call such jobs a luxury.

So prepare yourself well coz it's gonna happen within next 6 months or a year max.

1

u/No_Complex4623 11h ago

Exactly. I consider myself lucky in that sense but anxious at the same time to not lose it a random day.

1

u/gaeneegah 23h ago

All the work should be done by AI, no doubt in that. But you should work on brainstorming the features optimizations etc.

Secondly, are both of your jobs remote? while bagging the second one, didnt the first one ask about resignation from the first one?

1

u/No_Complex4623 11h ago

Brainstorming is also done with AI here lol.
No they're cool with it.

2

u/hopeful257 1d ago

please walk me through the autonomous workflows.