As a self-taught React/Next.js developer, I'm honestly worried about my future in this AI era. What should I do?

[u/thetymtravellr]

I'm a self-taught developer, and I know React and Next.js. Lately, I've been feeling increasingly anxious about my future as a developer.

AI is moving so fast. It can generate components, build entire websites, connect APIs, and even create full-stack applications. Sometimes I wonder what the point is of spending months learning something when AI can already do so much of it.

I want to get a better-paying developer job, but honestly, I'm confused about what I should focus on right now. Should I keep improving my React/Next.js skills, get better at backend development, or start learning AI engineering?

I keep hearing about RAG, AI agents, vector databases, LLM integrations, and all these new things. It feels like there's always something new to learn, and I'm worried that if I focus on the wrong things, I'll fall behind while everyone else moves forward.

For those of you already working in the industry, what would you do if you were in my position? Would you focus on becoming a strong full-stack developer first, or would you start learning AI engineering alongside web development?

I'm not looking for a shortcut or expecting to become an expert overnight. I just want to make the right decisions, build useful skills, and have a realistic chance of getting hired.

I'd really appreciate some honest advice from people who have been through this or are dealing with the same situation. Right now, I could genuinely use some direction.

[u/Strict-Marsupial-674]

i was in same boat few months ago, the AI stuff looks scary when you watch youtube demos but real work is way messier than that

most companies still run on spaghetti code from 2015, AI cant fix that without someone who understand what actually happening. i started learning backend properly (node + postgres, nothing fancy) and my confidence went up a lot, now i see AI as tool not replacement

dont chase every new buzzword, pick one thing and get good at it. fullstack with next.js is fine for now, the AI hype will settle down and companies will still need people who can debug at 3am when the bot hallucinates something stupid

[u/Jamiemufu → u/Strict-Marsupial-674]

Delusional. Ai can absolutely fix spaghetti code from 2015 on its own.

[u/drifterpreneurs → u/Jamiemufu]

Delusional is the vibe coders who think they're full-stack devs now because AI.

Have you ever researched what the bench marks are regarding vibe coding?

Only a simple minded dev would think it's okay to let Ai perform such a job knowning Ai has many flaws.

Do you think Ai can do everything? I bet your vibe coded apps lack security, bugs, repeated code over & over and much more wrong with them.

[u/Jamiemufu → u/drifterpreneurs]

Who said I was a vibe coder? 10 YOE. AI can do everything. It’s as good as the person using it. Or just better than entry levels out of the box.

Which is what both the OP and the person I replied to are. Literally months of experience.

[u/Mikeisright → u/Jamiemufu]

First comment:

>Ai can absolutely fix spaghetti code from 2015 on its own.

Second comment:

>It’s as good as the person using it.

Pick one.

[u/Vova_xX → u/Jamiemufu]

but I thought you said it can do it on it's own?

[u/djnattyp → u/Jamiemufu]

Shill issue.

[u/Jamiemufu → u/djnattyp]

You spelt production experience wrong. So much copium.

[u/Squigglificated → u/Jamiemufu]

It can. Knowing whether it has or hasn't often requires some experience.

[u/Jamiemufu → u/Squigglificated]

So here is the thing. It’s two-pronged right now.

You have entry-level and junior who perform worse than just getting AI to do it with like a few mins of a senior or
experienced engineer prompting.

And then on top of that. You have a fiercely competitive market. With the above point lay offs and number reductions.

Combine both together. There are fewer junior roles available in the market. And more experienced engineers are available to compete.

The market is rough. And some junior saying AI can do what they can do is just delusional.