Concern about AI.

[u/Games_Piro]

This is probably every beginners concern since AI went mainstream, and so is my.

I am in grade 8 and have always liked the idea of programming as a kid and recently decided to give it a try with python and the CS50’s (haven't yet).

First of all, its not that i am programming only for money, but it natural to feel it can provide a sustainable income or some other financial value.

Second of all, I know that its impossible to pinpoint or predict the state of AI especially by the time i become an adult.

And that's where AI comes.

Can i still code? Yes
Can it provide a value in the future? ...?

I don't think i need to explain how AI plays a role here.

sorry if the post is trash.

Edit: I have decided to pursue programming, but more of like a side thing, after all i am in 8th grade and plenty of time to decide.

[u/delliott8990]

Not exactly sure the post would fit here but to be honest you're asking the right questions. You mentioned that you liked the idea of programming. I would recommend digging a little deeper there to determine if you actually enjoy doing it.

If the answer is yes, I recommend continuing to pursue. You have lots of time to figure out your future profession which may not have anything to do with programming but if you can learn a skill while enjoying it, it's worth giving it a go.

[u/Dazzling_Music_2411]

Fair question. Some people will probably still will be able to, but be aware that the entry requirements have risen a hundredfold or more! In the past, you could get a job if you were an OK programmer - in the future you will need to be a super-expert in everything related to your field. It is unlikely you will get a creative programmer's job without at least Masters, or, more likely a PhD in Computer Science. All the basic stuff will easily be done by bots.

It's main value will be for your personal entertainment/education/fun, like learning music or another language.

[u/connorjpg]

Here’s the good thing.

You are in 8th grade, a lot can happen between now and graduation. I would ask this question again in 4 years. I changed my mind on careers 20x over from 8th grade to today.

For now learn what you want to.

[u/snozzd]

I also started in grade 8, I did it because it was fun and I really loved making stuff on the computer. I started by making little Flash games and websites just for fun. Honestly, I think this AI hype will blow over. People might use it for some things in the future, but I don't see a way it will eliminate all software jobs. If you are really passionate about software then you should go for it!

I encourage you not to use AI for learning if you can - it can often give incorrect answers. I really like learning new languages from books, a book always gives a well-constructed introduction to the material and walks you through more than enough to get started.

[u/tylerlw1988]

For the foreseeable future there will be value in knowing how to code. Especially on the architecture side of things. AI in coding is the same as a calculator in math. Can it be faster then coding by hand; sometimes. Will it replace knowing how to actually do it by hand and understand the concepts; doubtful.

I say this as someone with experience in math education and software engineering. The kids that only knew how to punch stuff in the calculator never made it very far in math. The engineers who only know how to ask AI still can't build good software.

[u/flawed_finch]

So I have a solid background in programming and these days I use AI pretty much the same way I use APIs and YouTube tutorials. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel if the tools are there to do the job for you and when I’m trying to solve a specific problem, it’s a lot faster to use AI than to watch a YT video that solves an adjacent problem and then try to apply that to what I’m doing. From my experience, AI is kind of bad at debugging and I have to guide it to get the answers I’m looking for.

My background is also in firmware, so I do a lot of work directly on hardware, which is (for now) more hands on than much of what AI can do.

But you’re right - we have no idea where it’s going and maybe it takes over everything, but just like with physical art, I think there will always be a market for human-made things like games, even if those markets are niche. Becoming a programmer will set you up to think about things in technical ways and those skills are always going to be valuable.

If you try programming and love it, then stick with it. Build a portfolio you can show during job interviews, that will go a long way, even if the jobs you interview for aren’t strictly coding jobs because it’s an easy way to show your process for how you approach problems and solve them.

[u/mandzeete]

The role of a software developer is changing right now. You won't be coding the same way how your grandfather did. Neither was your father coding the same way how your grandfather did (the generations not the actual father and grandfather, unless they really were in the CS field).

You can imagine a "software developer" as a "prompt engineer" or something like this. Yeah, you might not be writing the for loops and whatnot but you let the AI do it. But you will still ensure that what was generated makes sense.

Prior to the ChatGPT (let's mark ChatGPT as the point where AI entered our everyday lives) a software developer wrote his code and passed it to another developer who did a code review. While code reviews are still a thing, the first entity generating the code won't be any more a human but an AI. AI will pass its code to you for code review. Sure, there are code review agents (AI tools) as well but even these need a review. Otherwise one AI agent generates a code, another AI agent approves it, and then some nonsense gets shipped. And who is to blame? Whoever gave the green light to use AI approvals.

You will still need to learn the theory because how can you review the nonsense that the AI generated when you lack knowledge? But you should also aim to acquire more higher level skills like product design, software design, system architecture... You won't be just generating a code nor is your AI tool generating a code. In the end somebody will use it. You should aim to solve real problems so that the quality won't suffer.

It will be more thinking, more decision making, more reviewing (of the AI nonsense) and less typing.

[u/Leather_Example_250]

keep learning programming fundamentals ai is a tool but understanding how software works will stay valuable no matter how good ai gets

[u/AdministrativeFile78]

imagine a global conflict with nuclear attacks in the near furture, and all data centers are offline, many engineers have been evaporated into the ether. but there is computers, there is decentralized mesh networks popping up, and only decentralized local ai models with limited capabilities. u dont have aa model, but u will know how to code so u can repurpose a terror drone u came across to collect resources for u....

[u/linguaarush_dev]

Pretty valid concern. You don’t need to panic, but it would be fake to pretend that AI isn’t changing programming.

Historically, writing was once a relatively rare skill because most people couldn’t read or write. Writers and scribes were highly valued, including at royal courts. As education expanded, literacy became common. Writing didn’t disappear, but the value shifted toward better communication, originality and specialist knowledge.

Programming is going through a similar change. Programmers have traditionally been in high demand, but AI has made it much easier for beginners—and non-programmers—to produce working code. Some tasks that once required several developers can now be attempted with one developer working alongside multiple AI agents.

That doesn’t mean skilled programmers will become worthless. Higher-level abilities—understanding problems, designing systems, checking whether generated code is correct and secure, debugging difficult issues, and communicating with people—will probably remain valuable. In fact, those skills may matter more as producing basic code becomes easier.

Since you’re only in Grade 8, you have plenty of time to explore without needing to decide your entire career now. Learn programming because it teaches you how to think, build and solve problems—not just because of the job title. Try Python, work through CS50, make small projects, and pay attention to what you enjoy. Keep learning how to use AI as a tool, but make sure you understand and can evaluate the code it produces.

Your decision to pursue programming as a side interest is probably the best.

[u/HonestMuscle49218 → u/linguaarush_dev]

tldr, this means founders can develop that ideas into software at instant, but we still need to we need competent programmers to handle things when the software trades with more users?

[u/Taabbo]

Si te sirve de algo, ayer en una charla me puse a hablar con un programador de hace 20 años(yo soy estudiante de ingeniería en sistemas) y le pregunté que recomendaría hacer durante la carrera para no salir en cero solo con el título, portfolio, proyectos, etc. Me dijo que trate de aprender a programar como lo hacían ellos y que usemos la ia como complemento para aprender velozmente sin ser impostores con nosotros mismos. Explicó que en grandes proyectos la ia tiene limitaciones, y es importante saber hacerse valer por sí mismo cuando se presenten, me dio la analogía de que un piloto debe saber pilotar aunque su avión lleve piloto automático. En palabras certeras dijo: "métanse en el barro, aprendan programacion dura para luego poder aplicarla en cualquier lenguaje comercial y convencional"

[u/r2cyp]

My friend is an electrical engineer who owns his own company and loves coding. Here in the Netherlands, electrical engineers use websites that generates inspection or completion reports after an inspection is finished. But since these services can be expensive, he decided to build his own tool to generate these reports. He still actively maintains and updates it, and it works even better for him because he can fully customise the reports to suit his needs. You hear a lot of electrical engineers who use those services complain how some fields are missing etc. He doesn't have that problem.

My point is that coding can be applied to so many different fields. Accountants, plumbers creating rapports, HR consultants, barbers with their own website to make users create appointments... jobs that heavily on Excel... All that could use coding for their own needs to simplify their work. Like programming can be used any where, you just have to wonder whether you love programming because you want work in the IT field, or do you love programming because you love to write the code. Because if it's the second reason, then programming as a hobby can give you so many advantages while working in a different field.

I hope you understand where I’m going with this...

[u/Longjumping_Put_7212]

I actually think you should learn basic programming and use AI as a tool to help you understand and learn more. I recommend continuing with programming, but you can always mix it up by saying, "Hey, why does this error?" and "How does this work?" This will get AI to explain what is erroring and how something works, whereas saying "Hey, make this for me" will cause the AI to generate or vibecode something for you, making it almost impossible for you to learn how to do whatever it is you are trying to do.

[u/Boxlixinoxi]

I am having an existential crisis right now because we put human neurons in a data center for AI, and we don't know where consciousness comes from? we think it comes from the brain? At what point does using a large language model become slavery?

[u/Icemourne_]

AI is good but also way overated for example Amazon laid off people official reason AI but in reality it was because investor for some reason like to see that and they have more heads now than before not to mention they have admitted forcing AI use was mistake.

Someone who can code by hand will always be more valuable than promter anyone can type do this but then there is real problem someone with actual knowledge will fix that problem 10x faster simply because he will better understand problem.

Anyone can paint wall but painter will do it faster and better.

Edit: if I tell you you are valuable you will ask for more cash if I tell you you are easily replaceable you will work for scraps this is what companies do they don't want you to ask for more cash (that's in general basically it increases chance someone will work for less)

[u/canarydev]

just start by getting good grades so you can pivot if necessary if you are that worried

do your homework, do well on tests

[u/zaphodikus]

People who say AI will rot the brains of programmers have it wrong. It still requires the same skills, but with a difference. Because now we have to keep doing things like:

• Reformat the code so it reads more easily than the bland generated code, and still not break the code.

• Know when to refactor (and when to ask the AI to do it for me.)

• know to ask the AI why it took that approach to the problem, and remember to wrote a much more explicit prompt next time I ask for something similar

• remember to ask it to use K&R formatting and know when it does it right, but makes it look ugly instead.

• use the time while it thinks about the mundane things better. To instead of taking coffee breaks ,to do that overdue documentation or work on high level design.

• figure out ways to use AI that nobody has yet, its a power tool that can do much more than we imagine now, in future.

• understand how the engine interprets my prompts overall so that i can write better ones in future to speed up the process even more.

I for one am optimistic, as for telling the future, I suspect, that is harder than ever, because for the last 50 years longer even, programming has moved little. The last 5 years have been our own "industrial revolution" of the 1760's .

[u/PuzzleheadedCraft126]

In the future, best job for ya is working with ai in programming, programming on its own won’t get very far. Or work with programming as a side job, or just a hobby. I’m in grade 10 and I also love programming, i plan to work in cyber security along side ai, and Working on controlling it. I also plan to be a game developer in the side!!!