34. Are junior developers the new struggling artists?

Ever since I watched this video from DonTheDeveloper, I have been thinking about the situation I am in. 

In this “reaction” video, Don is reading an article from https://geeklore.io/  This is the first time I hear about both: the site and also its author, Kuberdenis, so I don’t know why Don read this particular article. 

For several months I have been listening to Don’s podcast and I find his opinions pertinent and very down to Earth. The main takeaway from all his interviews and bootcamp reviews is that in order to become a developer people need to put in the time, the energy, build something that makes sense to them and to take their time. Do not fall into the traps set by many bootcamp, promising that you’ll be ready for a job in 3 or even 6 months. 

He is also talking a lot about motivation and the reason someone is trying to become a developer. If the process feels like a punishment and the person is not enjoying it at all, then it’s better that the person does not pursue it. You know - choose your struggle. Anyway, here we are getting into this article and having a reaction to it.

Different people have different reactions. Mine was an emotion as in“ Oh no!” Let me tell you why. 

For a couple of years I have been trying to acquire new skills, particularly technical skills, that would help me do something different. Having those skills and using them would help me survive in this world. 

Just a few years ago, the thought that unless I work and provide a roof for myself, I might be sleeping under the proverbial bridge, scared me the most.

Even today, when I see those bodies sleeping on the benches, hatching God knows what diseases and smells, I feel a knot in my guts and I also feel the fire I need to get busy and capable. 

I get the same fire from the thought that I might be able to build something that is mine, that works, and some people use it as well. 

Listening to DonTheDeveloper read that article, a couple of questions crossed my mind. Is it really so? How can I make sure that I stay better said, become, relevant in the market today? All these questions arise because in that article the author is supporting the idea that the juniors of today are doomed, irrelevant even, because of AI. 

The tone of the article is very arrogant and fear inducing. As expected, DonTheDeveloper saw through it. While reading, he is also sharing from his personal experience in a calm tone, which somehow takes a bit away from the end of the world kind of vibe. 

The main problem of the article is that the words are thrown around without much reasoning. How did Kuberdenis come to that conclusion? Is the author sharing his personal experiences, is he reading the minds of all the juniors in the world and their future? 

If we want to take something away from the article, then we can take this : Juniors need to stop doing tutorials and start working on real projects, of their own, that present them, that contain different problems which can’t wait to be solved. The Struggle is the Way. 

The slow movement forward through the darkness (of the mind) - only this will transform a mind from junior to professional, and I believe that the job market will not let these kinds of people go that easily.