DON'T Become a Software Engineer - Do THIS instead

Summary

The video discusses the shifting landscape of software engineering due to AI, with tools like Devon and Cursor AI automating coding tasks. It highlights the saturation of the job market, the rise of outsourcing, and the increasing irrelevance of hands-on coding experience. The speaker, a cloud engineer, shares insights into the growing demand for cloud engineering skills, the benefits of specializing in this field, and offers a roadmap to transition into cloud engineering for career advancement.

Takeaways

• 💰 **High Earning Potential**: The speaker transitioned from a front-end developer to a cloud engineer and now earns $50,000 a month.
• 🔄 **Shift in Demand**: Companies are increasingly seeking cloud engineers over traditional software engineers due to the evolving tech landscape.
• 🤖 **AI Impact**: Artificial Intelligence is automating many coding tasks, reducing the need for entry-level software engineers.
• 🌐 **Cloud Engineering Overview**: Cloud engineers manage and improve networks of computers that store and process data over the internet.
• 📈 **Market Growth**: The cloud computing market is projected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2030, indicating significant growth and opportunity.
• 🏢 **Job Market Saturation**: The software engineering job market has become highly competitive with an oversupply of entry-level developers.
• 🌍 **Globalization of Work**: Outsourcing is on the rise, with companies leveraging global talent pools, affecting local job markets for software engineers.
• 🛠️ **Skills Gap**: There's a significant skills gap in cloud engineering, creating a demand for professionals with these skills.
• 💼 **Career Diversity**: Cloud engineering offers a variety of career paths, from infrastructure to security, providing diverse opportunities.
• 🚀 **Future-Proofing**: Cloud engineering is closely tied to emerging technologies like edge computing and IoT, positioning it for future growth.

Q & A

What was the simple change that San made to increase their income significantly?

San changed their career focus from being a front-end developer to a cloud engineer, taking advantage of the growing demand for cloud security expertise.

What is the role of AI in the current software engineering landscape according to the transcript?

AI is now capable of designing user interfaces, writing complex algorithms, and even architecting entire systems, which is reducing the need for manual coding tasks traditionally done by software engineers.

How does the AI software engineer Devon compare to other AI in terms of solving coding problems?

Devon is highlighted as solving 13.86% of all problems end-to-end, which is nearly 10 times higher than other AI like gdb4 at 1.74%.

What is the impact of AI on the future role of software developers as suggested by Andrej Karpathy?

Andrej Karpathy suggests that the future of software engineering will involve developers focusing more on high-level planning and problem-solving, with AI handling the detailed coding tasks.

Why is the software engineering job market becoming more competitive, as mentioned by San?

The job market is becoming competitive due to an explosion of coding boot camps, online learning platforms, and a push for everyone to learn coding, leading to a saturation of entry-level developers.

What is the Outsourcing trend doing to the software industry, and how does it affect job security for software engineers?

The Outsourcing trend is making it easier for companies to access international talent, which can lead to job losses for software engineers in higher-wage markets as companies seek to reduce costs.

Why did San choose to become a cloud engineer instead of continuing as a software engineer?

San chose cloud engineering due to the massive growth and opportunities in the cloud computing market, the high demand for skilled professionals, and the diversity of career paths it offers.

How does cloud engineering differ from software engineering in terms of job security?

Cloud engineering offers more job security due to the constant evolution of cloud technologies, the need for understanding both technical and business needs, and the difficulty in automating or outsourcing these roles.

What is the projected growth of the cloud computing market, and how does this benefit cloud engineers?

The cloud computing market is projected to reach a $1.6 trillion market by 2030, providing a sea of opportunities for cloud engineers as companies migrate to the cloud.

What does San offer through his Cloud Engineer Academy to help others make the switch to cloud engineering?

San's Cloud Engineer Academy provides a self-paced course that takes individuals from no prior experience to job-ready cloud engineers in 12 weeks, with hands-on learning and access to an active community and workshops.

How does San suggest cloud engineers stay ahead of the curve in terms of AI and automation?

San suggests that cloud engineers should focus on areas where human expertise is critical, such as architectural design or security implementation, and leverage AI tools to increase their efficiency and productivity.