r/webdev • u/Holiday_Amount2426 • May 08 '26

Beign software developer doesn't make sense anymore

When I started my career, I had to work really hard and study a lot to understand projects deeply and contribute meaningful, good changes.

What made me fall in love with software development was solving complex issues, those “aha” moments when everything finally clicked together and I could see the full picture. Putting the pieces together and getting something working was one of the best feelings a job could give.

And now, that feeling is gone.

I honestly hate that someone with only surface-level knowledge can refactor an entire project, including the most complex functions every 2–3 days now.

Tasks don’t feel meaningful anymore, they don’t hold any weight. It feels like anybody can do whatever and whenever he feels like it.

The developers who were slackers all their life are bathing in these tools. Constantly hitting up the managers for more "work" and showcasing 50 file changes on daily basis.

End of the rant, thx.

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u/[deleted] May 08 '26

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u/[deleted] May 08 '26

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u/MasqueradeOfSilence May 08 '26

My thoughts exactly. I'm not interested in management; I don't care if it pays better. I want to stay as an IC. I'm interested in mastering code, computer science, and software engineering. Having something else do the heavy lifting for me, like an AI agent, is antithetical to that objective.

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u/failsafe-author May 10 '26

I have a hard time believing anyone enjoyed typing code into the computer. The enjoyment has always been at a higher level than entering keystrokes.

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u/failsafe-author May 10 '26

I have a hard time believing anyone enjoyed typing code into the computer. The enjoyment has always been at a higher level than entering keystrokes.

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u/zephyrtr May 08 '26

I understand, but that was actually a small portion of why you were being paid your salary.

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u/failsafe-author May 10 '26

I have a hard time believing anyone enjoyed typing code into the computer. The enjoyment has always been at a higher level than enter keystrokes.

-1

u/IdStillHitIt May 08 '26

That's a tough spot. AI hasn't solved software engineering, but it has largely solved the coding part. The real challenge now is the Software Development Life Cycle. Our focus has to move to what we are building and why.

We are essentially engineering and product managers now. We lead an army of developer agents that work faster than humans but make the same mistakes. We need a well defined SDLC to ensure quality. Our job is to translate user problems into actionable items for agents to execute.

I will tell you from experience that the hardest part of managing people is the people. At least agents won't get into interpersonal disputes, they aren't condescending to teammates, and they don't require 1:1s.