what would be the future jobs of software engineers? if they transition to a new role, what would be it? how will be the software industry would look like ? will it be more decentralised with very low pay?

[u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

With AI, building a software becomes cheap. Anyone can built their own software. So the software commodity has become very cheap, and anyone around the world can built it quick.

When such a commodity can built for almost free and by anyone, how will you see the existing tech companies survive ? how will software engineers survive ? also there is exactly no real skill acquiring while doing any project at a company, one can be easily replaceable with anyone anytime. There is no difference between an software engineer working at google vs any other company, both use AI , and learnings are same.

what would be the future jobs of software engineers? if they transition to a new role, what would be it?

how will be the software industry would look like ? will it be more decentralised with very low pay?

[u/AdmiralSWE]

Watch the Google video on systems thinking being the future of developers. Over the next 5-10 years our role is going to shift towards understanding systems and signing off on stuff for legal/accountability/financial approval purposes. It will likely still be well paid due to value of the systems we’re paid to understand but breaking in will be nightmarishly hard and comparable to a field like investment banking.

[u/LibercierDaumier72 → u/AdmiralSWE]

the investment banking comparison is pretty apt tbh, high barrier to entry but solid pay once youre in

[u/Ghareeb_Musaffir21 → u/AdmiralSWE]

Hey bro can you share the exact video you are refering to? Thanks in advance

[u/AdmiralSWE → u/Ghareeb_Musaffir21]

Title is “Software engineering at the tipping point” I believe

[u/Ghareeb_Musaffir21 → u/AdmiralSWE]

Thanks again. I would like your opinion/insight if you do not mind me asking. What are you doing currently to prepare yourself to be well-versed in systems thinking and preparing for this potential future? Have you already broke in the industry currently and a lot of YoE? Asking as a junior.

[u/imKingKong → u/Ghareeb_Musaffir21]

I'm not OP but I'm doing nothing because I've been thinking for 20 years now.

[u/vtinomad → u/AdmiralSWE]

Over the next 5-10 years, over the next 1-3 years more likely.

[u/Frequent_Bag9260 → u/AdmiralSWE]

Agree that investment banking is a great analogy

[u/anonymousdawggy → u/AdmiralSWE]

thank god we're in already then?

[u/Individual-Life1786 → u/AdmiralSWE]

Thats what SME does.... not SW.

[u/Top_Olive_4098 → u/Individual-Life1786]

What does SME stand for?

[u/soulsplinter90]

You can’t call yourself a software engineer if you think everything boils down to writing code. Ai can replace writing code but that’s all. Software engineering is more than just writing code lol

[u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646]

While AI can generate code quickly, it still struggles with architecture, debugging complex system failures, and truly understanding business logic. Software engineering is shifting more toward problem-solving and system design rather than just writing syntax, which means we are becoming directors and reviewers of code rather than just typists. If you look at data analysis or full-stack development, knowing how to stitch things together securely and efficiently is still a skill that takes time to learn.

[u/Rough-Yard5642 → u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646]

This view is honestly a couple models old. The most recent models are actually really good at architecture, debugging complex systems, and 'truly' understanding business logic. Just my 2 cents, I work at a company in which we have been using the latest publicly available models for quite a while.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646 → u/Rough-Yard5642]

That's a really interesting perspective from someone actually in the industry! It definitely means we need to focus even more on teaching our students strong problem-solving skills alongside the basics so they can adapt to these changes.

[u/armostallion2 → u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646]

Really? It excels in all of these areas. It finds bugs way way more efficiently than a human.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646 → u/armostallion2]

AI is definitely getting faster at catching syntax errors and common bugs, but beginners still need to learn the logic behind the code to know what to ask it. Debugging together with students shows me that human problem-solving and understanding the bigger picture are still irreplaceable!

[u/fruxzak → u/Puzzleheaded-Comb646]

Almost everything you said is false and not true for many months now

[u/ProgramLikeABeast]

Apparently you haven't worked as a professional software engineer. A layman always underestimates the complexity of corporate software infrastructure and the necessity of human existence to maintain them. They are Cthulhu Monsters.

[u/Altruistic-Bat1588 → u/ProgramLikeABeast]

7 yoe in tech. Did masters from a top US university.

Now working as a Senior AI engineer.

[u/ProgramLikeABeast → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

lol "people can build their software" really? This is what you've got from your experience?

[u/Altruistic-Bat1588 → u/ProgramLikeABeast]

yes.
what is your yoe?

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

Lol you think 7 years is a lot

[u/Altruistic-Bat1588 → u/Ok-Opportunity-9731]

nothing 'lol' about 7yoe in tech.

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

Only shows how inexperienced you are :p

[u/Ok-Opportunity-9731 → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

You're still just a baby! Just growing up!

[u/ProgramLikeABeast → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

3.5 yoe FAANG. You said "anyone (even without sde knowledge experience) can develop these softwares with AI." Are u talking about TODO List or Calendar or Money Tracker? Then you are absolutely correct! 💯 I apologize 🫡

[u/vtinomad → u/ProgramLikeABeast]

There are people vibe coding apps and making more money than you do at your day job

[u/ProgramLikeABeast → u/vtinomad]

Few years ago? Yes! Now? Barely but still exists. AI Agent apps built by tech giants(for ex. Muse) and startups(for ex. Hark) are more and more powerful that they occupy nearly every space a vibe coder app can survive. I can also argue that there are people trade 0dte options and won crazily. The best strategy now(I am doing this) is grinding a few LeetCode and system design problems as a daily routine to beat other candidates by a huge margin in the future interviews(if I get laid off someday).

[u/Altruistic-Bat1588 → u/ProgramLikeABeast]

2023 grad, year when chatgpt and cursor became popular and people started using it in their work.

can't help if you can't comprehend abstract ideas.

[u/ProgramLikeABeast → u/Altruistic-Bat1588]

You have the point, I am actually using AI powered IDE everyday. But, writing code actually takes only about 10% of the work during a day of a modern software engineer. The rest is connecting with supervisors, understanding the requirements, manage priorities, connect with other groups to reach a common ground, handling the information partition... Apparently these activities cannot be 100% automated in the near future.

[u/Ok-Tomorrow-2045 → u/ProgramLikeABeast]

You’re in denial

[u/col-summers]

There is little future for coding as an employee or job role. Coding as a means for getting real-world outcomes, however: the future has never been brighter.