Ask HN: Many SWEngs out there are considering re-training

8 points by jrowilliams 3 hours ago | 8 comments

Question is what it says on the tin. I've been mulling over the state of the industry and where I believe it to be going, and while I believe there will still be a role for us SWEng's in the future, I believe there will be a need for far fewer of us.

So much so that, a la industrial revolution, there will be lots of layoffs and SWEngs without a cause. This is obviously quite a pessimistic view of where the industry is going, and maybe I'm just looking for some reassurance or discussion - my question is at what point do a large amount of SWEngs have to find something else to do and re-train?

guitarlimeo 3 hours ago |

Definitely. Been thinking of police school (not in USA lol) or some other public service that is actually needed in the society.

markus_zhang 2 hours ago |

I think the process is already ongoing for the juniors and new graduates? Now, speaking as a senior, a quite mediocre one, I wouldn’t be surprised if I can never find a similar job if I’m laid off.

jrowilliams 2 hours ago | |

I would be interested to hear from juniors + new grads tbh. They're definitely the ones most immediately impacted by this

yevhen_builds 2 hours ago |

With AI taking over coding, you can become more manager role instead of SWE itself.

You can run agents by yourself on your 9-5 and still make crucial decisions in software industry.

jrowilliams 2 hours ago | |

I get the feeling the vast number of people already in a manager role (who are not techincally grounded) will not be able to understand the benefit of allowing SWEs to step into that role, as opposed to taking on that role themselves.

GaryNumanVevo 1 hour ago |

I've basically been a personal hedge fund manager for the better part of 2 years. I'm still working as a SWE because it's interesting, if I get laid off I'll be retiring.

Donald 1 hour ago | |

Any good tips based on your experience here?

vconnor 1 hour ago |

Let's say I have 2 years to invent a new career before I'm broke.

Not a junior either, but I'd rather do anything else than be expected to turn into a middle manager for AI agents. That's not why I got into computers.