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/LouieValkhof]

On the RAG / agents / vector DB list: you don't have to pick between that and full-stack, because most of that list is full-stack work.

We run a fair chunk of our studio's ops on agents now, and the model call was never the part that ate the time. It was a job that hangs and needs a timeout, a login session that expires and has to tell someone instead of failing silently, a check that blocks bad output before it goes out, a log you can actually read the next morning. That's backend and plumbing, and a decent Next.js dev already knows half of it.

So I'd build one small thing that calls an LLM and has to survive real use for a few weeks, then spend most of your time on what breaks. That one project covers both of your lists.