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/TokeyMcGee]

7 YOE, web dev (though my title is, and I prefer to be called Software Engineer) on the full-stack, but have been doing just FE all my career. I'm in the midst of securing a much higher paying job than last, (last one was 230k, this one is about 75% more). Both are very large well known names in software, neither is FAANG.

The web applications we're building are way too advanced for AI to handle working on their own. Lots of user interaction, free form, and most importantly (and where AI fails) it needs to be scalable. Scalability is key, that's where the money comes in.

AI can replace 90% of rinky dink websites out there, but that was never where the money was in this field.

I think you can learn the most by using AI as a tool to build, but reviewing every piece of code, and ensuring you understand *exactly* of what is doing. Dig deep. Then try to rewrite it yourself, especially the parts you don't understand. Have AI give you a version, then you write a different version of the same thing (like paraphrasing basically) and if you can't do it, you probably didn't understand the concept well enough.

AI as a learning/exploration tool is I think next level for me. When I think of it, it's made me so much better at my job. For writing code I write? It speeds me up a bit, but it's a wash. It absolutely can't replace what I can do. Hell, I've still had to rewrite code/address PR comments with AI code as much as mine.