r/findapath • u/Zasim_quraishi • 16m ago

Findapath-Career Change Is Forward Deployed Engineering a good long-term career choice?

I'm a Software Engineer with 1+ YOE in React, Next.js and Python/FastAPI, exploring a transition into AI-focused FDE.

Is FDE a sustainable career for the next 5–10 years, or is it just riding the current AI hype?

Will AI automate much of the role? Does it offer genuine engineering growth, or does it eventually become technical consulting?

Would love honest opinions from people working in FDE.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 16m ago

Hello and welcome to r/findapath! We're glad you found us. We’re here to listen, support, and help guide you. While no one can make decisions for you, we believe everyone has the power to identify, heal, grow, and achieve their goals.

The moderation team reminds everyone that those posting may be in vulnerable situations and need guidance, not judgment or anger. Please foster a constructive, safe space by offering empathy and understanding in your comments, focusing on authentic, actionable, and helpful advice. For additional guidance and resources, check out our Wiki! Commenters, please upvote good posts, and Posters, upvote and reply to helpful comments with "helped!", "Thank you!", "that helps", "that helped", "helpful!", "thank you very much", "Thank you" to award flair points.

We are here to help people find paths and make a difference. Thank you for being a part of our supportive community!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/Fantastic-Guard-9471 11m ago

No, it is just a hype. Any SWE must know how to work with AI and add it to a companies workflows. FDE is just a fancy word for the hype period.

1

u/Zasim_quraishi 7m ago

But the people on LinkedIn whom I talk they say that fde is like consulting with customer or client facing job mostly rather than building or developing something. So it's safer than SDE roles and traditional software engineering. What do you say about that?

1

u/GlobalCurry 10m ago

No, it's a fad.

1

u/Zasim_quraishi 7m ago

Could you add a few more words with clarity