Comment by Grombobulous
10 hours ago
Telling them not to get into tech is also terribly reactionary advice. The truth of the matter is that we don’t yet know whether tech roles will be eliminated or if they’re just going to follow previous innovation breakthroughs where “one person producing way more work” makes software even more of a desirable industry to be involved in.
There really isn’t a very strong correlation between tech industry hiring strength and AI as of yet. Various studies that are out there haven’t even witnessed AI workflows contributing more than modest gains in software engineering efficiency. I.e., being able to write code 20-40% faster isn’t a seismic shift in the industry where everyone is getting laid off tomorrow and we’re all replaced by software.
Even with the questions surrounding the current job market, it’s still an incredibly good ROI career compared to so many other jobs out there.
For example, in my local area you can get a job as a registered nurse working nights in the emergency room and only make ~$115k.
I make almost double that telling an LLM what to do from my house in my pajamas during the day with less time spent in university.
Even if tech roles lose half their salary to automation pressure it’s still a really good gig.
“only make $115k”
This right here is why nobody is shedding tears for the massive employment crisis in tech.
You make double that shilling ai slopware while they work nights saving lives.
I would tell a 17 year old that the world will always need nurses, same can’t be said for guys sitting in their pajamas burning tokens.
What is happening now in tech has been a long time coming, and it can’t happen fast enough.
I just want to make it clear that I’m not assigning some kind of moral superiority to my financial situation and the amount that the economy values my labor per hour.
I don’t make the rules for how much each profession is able to make in compensation.
The world will always need nurses, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a fantastic career to get into if you have a neutral career preference and your primary consideration is university tuition ROI, expected compensation, work schedule, and day-to-day physical exertion.
My point isn’t to debate the virtues of each career, I am intending to stick to objective aspects of them.
In that sense, telling today’s kids that there’s no future in tech careers just because there’s a short term hiring slump is extremely premature. I certainly wouldn’t tell a kid who is passionate about tech to avoid the field just because the unemployment rate is currently 7%.
https://www.investopedia.com/bachelor-s-degrees-with-the-bes...
Spare me your attempt at turning this into a debate after sounding like every pompous dev Ive ever spoken to.
“I make almost double that telling an LLM what to do from my house in my pajamas during the day with less time spent in university.”
If thats not gloating I don’t know what is.
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