Software Engineers are on a Sinking Ship: Here’s How To Escape

I ignored the warning signs for too long.

Every traditional software engineering job you know of has an AI tool rising up to take its place.

It doesn’t matter which domain you’re in. Whether you like it or not, there is now an AI tool that is capable of designing or creating anything you can create in a fraction of the time, at a fraction of the cost.

I admit it - realistically these tools aren’t capable of taking over your entire day job tomorrow. However, think of what the state of tools like this was two years ago. They’ve progressed a lot in a short time. Now think of where they will be 2 years from now.

We are not going to be safe for long.

Inevitably, single specialisation jobs are going to be replaced.

It’s just a matter of whether you’re brave enough to look around you, realise the situation we’re in, and do something about it now - or wait until reality hits you.

"The cold water doesn't get warmer if you jump late."

I too was in the boat that my software engineering job was safe – that no matter how much technology advanced, there would always be a need for human developers, right?

But the more I watched AI evolve, the clearer it became.

This is a losing battle.

It might not happen overnight, but the role of software engineers as we know it is becoming obsolete, and those who don’t adapt will be left behind.

Knowing this, I refused to sit still and watch it happen.

So, I built a plan to leverage this unfortunate situation to my advantage.

Let me explain.

Learning How To Butcher A Hog

The ground beneath our feet is moving faster than you realise.

A regular 9-5 in a single specialisation is no longer going to cut it.

We simply cannot compete with AI. In order to survive, you’re going to need to be smarter.

So I thought to myself: what do I have that AI doesn’t?

Then it hit me.

Leveraging creativity is the way out.

AI is trained on pre-existing data. It cannot think of anything it doesn’t already know.

The one thing AI cannot replicate is human creativity. The ability to imagine something new, to break the rules, to push the limits and innovate in ways that haven’t been done before.

AI may outsmart us in mental capacity and never tiring - but it cannot dream. It doesn’t feel inspiration. It does not have a vision.

This brings me to my point.

If we want to hedge ourselves from being replaced, we must pursue some form of creativity.

The way out is to build.

This makes the following idea for those of us with technical jobs so important.

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re only capable of specialising in one area. You must look deep into your brain, and remove the labels from yourself on who you are. You must rid yourself of the idea that you are merely a “software engineer”.

You have to become a jack of all trades. You need to wear all the hats. This is the only way out.

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” — Robert A. Heinlein

Opposition as Opportunity

We’ve identified that if we want to avoid getting replaced, we must:

• Pursue creativity
• Become a jack of all trades

But how do we actually go about doing that?

In order to beat AI, we’re going to have to use it against itself.

What a lot of people fail to realise, is that you have the most powerful tool known to mankind at your fingertips – for free.

It has 130 IQ in every single topic or skill known to man.

You are capable of learning anything you want, any time, so much faster and in more detail than ever before.

It may seem that I came across at the start of this message as if AI is this terrifying looming threat.

It is. I had to make you aware of it so that you take it seriously.

But simultaneously – you must realise that we live in the greatest period of abundance in the history of mankind.

For thousands of years, humanity has never had access to tools this powerful. In just the last two years, they have been placed directly in our hands.

Do you understand the potential we now have to build things by using these tools?

You have access to superpowers.

With great power comes great responsibility.

Because we have access to more, naturally, more will be expected of us.

You need to use the superpower tool to build superpower things, to provide more value and solve more problems than you ever could previously.

The window of opportunity is closing.

So What Do I Do From Here?

Pursuing something that harnesses your human creativity sounds daunting.

Becoming a jack of all trades and learning how to become a generalist sounds like a big task.

Any time you think this, remember. You don't have to do it all yourself.

It’s natural that as a human who has had to do things on their own for thousands of years to default to assuming we need to do it all in our own strength.

You must rewire your way of thinking. Remember, you now have superpowers.

Any time you run into a brick wall, realise there is an AI tool to solve that.

(if there isn’t an AI tool for it, then perhaps you now know what to build)

Start by defining an intentional 60 minutes per day, every day. Dedicate it toward learning and building.

Identify natural curiosities and talents that you have. Keep a bullet point list of them.

Humans are passionate about the things they are good at. You get good at things by learning and practicing them.

You will be able to build greater things and work on them for longer if you are genuinely interested in them.

Find the things that are play for you which others would consider work.

All you need to do is find a problem, and use your newfound superpowers to build something that solves it. Then, inform those who have that problem that you can solve it in exchange for money.

‘You are paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of the problems you solve.” - Elon Musk

The way out is to build.

- Cole

If you’re interested in transitioning from a traditional 9-5, leveraging AI to build a future of your own, and capitalising on the digital renaissance, you can subscribe to my weekly newsletter.

I’m also active on my X profile at @cole_mccon