Technology

I even used Claude AI to write an entire C# application, I did ZERO coding, yes, literally nothing! I have NEVER coded in C# before, I gave it all requirements, worked with it like a project manager.... it created a full blown working application that was beyond my expectations.

I achieved the same in 2000 with a home grown framework, and again in 2006 with Ruby on Rails.

Astonishingly fast prototyping is a quarter of a centrury old.

• How are you enjoying maintaining this app in production? (Or is it not there yet, because it's just very nice for a prototype?)
• How did Claude AI do at deploying it?
• Are you satisfied with Claude AIs answers to your boss' traffic analytics and load balancing questions?
• When will Claude AI let you know how the A/B tests proved out for optimizing sales?
• Or doesn't it do those things yet?

Computers are replacing us. They've been at it since their inception.

Keep learning the trade and you'll find there's a metric ton more that computers cannot help with, than that they can help with. That will get better. I'm working at making it get better.

I figure that my learning how to train the computers is job security. I didn't count on it being a harsh lesson in how long it's going to be before computers get not stupid.

I do have a plan for when I automate myself out of a job. It's just not a plan I'm really counting on, because I've been trying for decades and I only have so many decades left of doing this.

I've been constantly advised to have an exit plan, for when the computers replaced me, for the entirety of those same decades.

Most often by the same people who want me to charge less.

Funny thing, that. Take care who you listen to on this topic, and that their motives are.

My motive is to (continue to) charge the rest of you a shit ton of money before the AI finally replace us.

It does help me if you all don't buy into the bullshit that CEOs have been spouting about replacing us all.

We've all been undercharging for about 3 years due to it.

AI hasn't accomplished jack shit, but a lot of you have accepted lower pay than you probably should.

I make very good money, but I can't help but notice that it would be a bit more of the rest of you would wise to the scam and raise your own prices.

Some days, all I do is code.

So your instincts are correct. You need to learn the rest of the job, before the part you are doing is replaced by robots.

Lots of my colleagues in SWE use full blown AI development tools.

We all use full blown AI development tools. Before that we had other tricks that did the same thing.

We must beware mistaking the instrument for the musician, or we get sold a broken old instrument that doesn't perform miracles outside it's master's hand.

What are you using to get Claude to write for you? I've been using it to write a full stack Go/javascript app but it needs a lot of handholding.