Forever Junior: The Skills AI Can't Develop for You
8 hours ago
- AI is changing software engineering, not eliminating it; engineers must adapt their skills.
- Junior engineers risk becoming 'forever juniors' if they rely too heavily on AI without learning.
- Four key human skills were developed: curiosity (questioning AI decisions), reviewing (learning from senior feedback patterns), handwriting (occasional manual coding), and mentee-ing (seeking mentorship).
- These skills build autonomy, confidence, architectural understanding, and algorithmic understanding.
- The author's skill.md file became less necessary as the skills were internalized.
- Collaboration with seniors remains crucial for growth; no one becomes a senior alone.
- The author achieved a promotion nomination earlier than planned through this skill-building approach.