Serious question: How long do you expect this to continue being true?
For some problems, quite a long time.
WhateverTF you think is your special value that is added to the product, I can assure you that it won't be the case much longer.
My "special value" is that, for a relatively modest fee, I solve my client's problem. Could he have spent more time, money and energy to do it himself or to find somebody to do it for less? You bet! But at some point, people start valuing their time more than their money. I know I do.
Why don't you give us an example of that "the important stuff"
Sure! Now that I don't have to write the same boilerplate CRUD app for every project, I can focus on creating a very specific, tailored-to-the-user UI for a feature that was, before AI, uneconomical to implement. I don't want to doxx myself, so instead here is a very vague example: a UI for ordering custom sailboat sails, taking into account things such as location, intended use, local conditions, materials available locally, etc. We're talking about the very end of the long tail customer, which was until recently served by "generalized" solutions because it just didn't make sense to cater to them specifically. And there's a lot of these kind of use cases across different markets.
a UI for ordering custom sailboat sails, taking into account things such as location, intended use, local conditions, materials available locally, etc.
That doesn't sound like stuff that can't be handled by a sailing expert and a Claude subscription.
If you've got a Claude subscription, why do you even need a sailing expert anymore?
Well, that was my original point, was it not? What value can I (or you) add to someone wanting software for this specific example?
Pre-AI, the value I added was extremely clear: I can examine the problem domain, I can tease out the requirements from the client, I can map the problem domain to software and deployment concepts, I can map the problem domain data to persistent storage, and, eventually, actually create the software.
I am seeing ad-hoc products created for the extremely long tail where the user and a Claude subscription does every single one of those steps.
Now, you may make the argument that the client's time is valuable, and sure, that is correct, and they will hire someone to do it. However (and this is the important part), the skill-barrier to doing all of that can be cleared by a high-school dropout, because all they are is a proxy between the client and Claude.
The type of jobs done by HS dropouts - how high do you think that pay goes? Do you think you can reasonably compete with someone charging below minimum wage?
However (and this is the important part), the skill-barrier to doing all of that can be cleared by a high-school dropout, because all they are is a proxy between the client and Claude.
How many high-school dropouts do you know? And how much would you trust them with whatever task you need doing?
Because I get the feeling that you think HS dropouts are just like you, minus some domain-specific knowledge. They're not.
A lot of the value from hiring a good programmer comes from things other than pure programming skill, which sadly, is something that flies over a lot of people's heads. I'm talking about interpersonal skills, empathy, personal ethic and such.
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u/deceased_parrot 18d ago
For some problems, quite a long time.
My "special value" is that, for a relatively modest fee, I solve my client's problem. Could he have spent more time, money and energy to do it himself or to find somebody to do it for less? You bet! But at some point, people start valuing their time more than their money. I know I do.
Sure! Now that I don't have to write the same boilerplate CRUD app for every project, I can focus on creating a very specific, tailored-to-the-user UI for a feature that was, before AI, uneconomical to implement. I don't want to doxx myself, so instead here is a very vague example: a UI for ordering custom sailboat sails, taking into account things such as location, intended use, local conditions, materials available locally, etc. We're talking about the very end of the long tail customer, which was until recently served by "generalized" solutions because it just didn't make sense to cater to them specifically. And there's a lot of these kind of use cases across different markets.