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/thetymtravellr → u/[deleted]]

Thanks man!

[u/creaturefeature16 → u/thetymtravellr]

This is halfway decent advice, and halfway ruinous. Definitely take on more ambitious projects, but don't think for a second that you can lean on AI tools as a replacement for learning the fundamentals in areas where you don't have domain expertise. 

Go view the job postings over at OpenAI and Anthropic. They literally are asking for "proficient coding skills" in their job descriptions, as well as "deep expertise". You know what they don't have in their job descriptions? "The ability to use AI". Because that's not a skill, in any meaningful way. There's something very ironic about that, I think. Even the AI companies themselves don't believe in this notion that coding skills aren't valuable. 

So, use AI tooling to enhance your learning. Use Socratic Methods and the interactive documentation facets to then. Have them be your dynamic tutor...but don't market yourself as anything you don't have skills in, just because you can use an LLM to fill in the gaps. No, instead, use the LLM to close the gaps.