I created this throwaway account to talk completely openly. I am an engineer with 20 years in, working mostly on web development. I have a pretty high salary in the top %5 band of my area and sector.

I don't know where to start this. So let's just jump right into it.

I can't tell what will happen immediately next year. This has never happened to me before professionally. I was born a nerd, started programming early, and jobs just came to me.

AI scares me for job security. My entire pitch to get to top %5 of salary band has been that I have many years of experience in my specialty. Thus securing me high roles in my field along with high salary.

I have been already working nearly at a burn-out level for many years to reach this comp.

Rent is sky high. I don't feel comfortable taking on mortgage despite having multiples of needed deposit, because I am not sure how much longer I can maintain my comp. with AI automating everything.

Many people share the comforting stories, that there will be other jobs for engineers/programmers.

How am I supposed to retain my TC if I have to switch to another field from web?

I am unable to enjoy any content, movie, tv show anymore. Even the SciFi from last year, feels outdated. Reddit comments feel like they're all AI-generated. I made an AI reddit bot myself. None noticed.

I use ChatGPT on a daily basis to build projects, and the more I use it, the more scared I get. It is just too powerful. The more I use it, the less proud I feel for my output. It just feels like anyone could do it.

Where are we really going? Can we just stop the optimistic techie talk and accept UBI is not happening... They don't give you healthcare, do you think they will give you CASH like that???

I hope this doesn't get flagged, because I really need your inputs.

user:	tarmol
created:	June 12, 2023
karma:	1