My Honest Thoughts on the Future of Software Engineering - How do we evolve in the AI world❓

Summary

In this video, the speaker discusses the future of software engineering, emphasizing its dual nature as both art and craft. With AI making software development more accessible, the importance of quality in software solutions will increase. The speaker encourages aspiring software engineers to build real projects that solve real problems, engage with communities, and gain real users to learn and improve. The ultimate goal is to create software that not only solves problems but also generates revenue, potentially leading to a successful startup.

Takeaways

• 💡 Software engineering is both an art and a craft, requiring technical expertise, precision, and creativity.
• 🔮 The future of software engineering will see a blend of art and craft, with AI making software development more accessible.
• 📈 The quality of software engineering will become even more critical as AI enables the creation of more software with higher expectations.
• 🏆 To stand out, software engineers must focus on building high-quality, thoughtfully designed solutions that solve real problems.
• 🛠️ Instead of cloning popular apps, build real projects that address genuine issues to demonstrate depth in thinking and design.
• 🤔 Engage with a community to discuss and build upon real-world problems and solutions.
• 🌐 Build in public to connect with like-minded individuals, gain feedback, and attract users.
• 👥 Listen to feedback from real users to identify bugs, optimize, and improve the user experience.
• 💼 Real users are more likely to pay for software that solves their problems effectively.
• 🚀 Aim to build startups that solve specific pain points, potentially leading to a sustainable business with recurring revenue.

Q & A

What does the speaker believe software engineering to be?

The speaker believes software engineering is both an art and a craft, requiring technical expertise, precision, creativity, and innovation.

How does the speaker think AI will impact the future of software engineering?

The speaker thinks AI will make software development more accessible, leading to a higher demand for quality in software solutions.

What is the importance of quality in software engineering according to the speaker?

Quality is crucial because it will differentiate software in a market with many alternatives, and thoughtfully designed, well-implemented solutions will be the winners.

What advice does the speaker give to software engineers in a competitive market?

The speaker advises software engineers to build real projects that solve real problems, to stand out by having a high bar of quality in their work.

Why should software engineers avoid building clones of popular tools?

Building clones does not require deep thinking about use cases and design, which is essential for understanding and improving the software engineering process.

What is the speaker's recommendation for starting a software project?

The speaker recommends starting with a personal or known problem, designing a solution that considers all use cases, and then building software to solve that problem effectively.

Why is building in public beneficial according to the speaker?

Building in public allows for community engagement, feedback, and connections with similar people, which can lead to real users and learning opportunities.

How can having real users improve a software engineer's work?

Having real users provides different perspectives, reveals bugs, and offers insights into user experience, which can drive optimization and improvement.

What is the ultimate goal of building software according to the speaker?

The ultimate goal is to solve problems and make the world better, with the potential for users to pay for solutions that address their real pain points.

Why does the speaker encourage building multiple startups?

Building multiple startups can lead to real users, paying customers, and a sustainable business model, which is more valuable than a salary.

What is the speaker's suggestion for dealing with new problems encountered during software development?

The speaker suggests that new problems encountered during development can lead to the creation of new tools or services, which can be a path to innovation and business opportunities.

Outlines

00:00

🔮 The Future of Software Engineering

The speaker begins by setting the stage for a discussion about the future of software engineering, emphasizing its dual nature as both an art and a craft. They highlight the need for technical expertise and creativity in solving complex problems and creating elegant user interfaces. The speaker predicts that with AI making software development more accessible, the quality of software engineering will become even more critical. They advise aspiring software engineers to focus on building high-quality, thoughtfully designed solutions that stand out in a competitive market. The speaker also encourages building real projects that solve real problems and engaging with communities to gain feedback and improve the software, ultimately leading to a better understanding of software engineering and the potential to monetize solutions.

05:01

🚀 Building Startups and Solving Real Problems

In the second paragraph, the speaker encourages listeners to think about building multiple startups across different markets, aiming for real users and paying customers. They acknowledge the initial difficulty in identifying and solving problems but suggest leveraging resources like Twitter and engaging with communities to learn from others. The speaker emphasizes the importance of focusing on one feature and solving it well, which can lead to a valuable product. They share personal experiences, such as creating a simple logging solution that led to the idea of a more generalized service. The speaker also suggests considering open-source alternatives to paid software as a starting point for building projects. The ultimate goal is to create a sustainable business with recurring revenue, and the speaker motivates the audience to share their ideas and start building, as the world belongs to builders.

Keywords

💡Software Engineering

Software engineering is a discipline that involves the application of engineering principles to software design, development, and maintenance. In the video, it's described as both an art and a craft, requiring technical expertise and creativity to solve complex problems and create elegant solutions. The script emphasizes the importance of quality in software engineering, suggesting that as AI makes software development more accessible, the bar for quality will rise.

💡Art and Craft

The terms 'art' and 'craft' are used to describe the dual nature of software engineering. 'Art' refers to the creative and innovative aspects of designing user interfaces and systems, while 'craft' pertains to the technical skills and precision required to write and maintain code. The video suggests that as AI becomes more integrated, the distinction between these two aspects will become more blurred, requiring software engineers to excel in both.

💡AI

AI, or artificial intelligence, is a branch of computer science that aims to create intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. In the context of the video, AI is seen as a tool that can help democratize software development by providing initial code bases and design ideas, but it lacks the depth of human thought and design that leads to high-quality software.

💡Quality

Quality is a central theme in the video, referring to the excellence of software solutions. It is highlighted as a key differentiator in a market saturated with alternatives. The video stresses that thoughtful design and implementation are critical to achieving high-quality software that can stand out and provide value to users.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is a core aspect of software engineering discussed in the video. It involves identifying real-world issues and creating software solutions to address them. The video encourages software engineers to focus on solving real problems, which not only leads to more meaningful work but also results in software that is more likely to be used and valued by customers.

💡User Experience (UX)

User experience (UX) refers to how a person feels when interacting with a product. The video underscores the importance of designing software that not only functions well but also provides a delightful UX. It suggests that the best software tools are those that are both functional and beautiful, invoking an emotional response in users.

💡Clone Projects

Clone projects are mentioned in the video as less valuable compared to original projects that solve real problems. They are typically copies of existing popular tools like Netflix or YouTube. The video discourages building clones, arguing that they lack the depth of thought and design needed to truly solve user problems and provide a competitive edge.

💡Build in Public

The concept of 'build in public' refers to the practice of openly sharing the process of building a product, often through social media or online communities. The video encourages this approach, suggesting that it can help developers connect with users, receive feedback, and build a community around their projects.

💡Real Users

Real users are actual people who use a software product for its intended purpose. The video argues that having real users is crucial for learning and improving software. It suggests that user feedback and interaction can reveal bugs, usability issues, and areas for improvement that might not be apparent to the developer alone.

💡Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is a metric used to measure the regular income that a subscription-based business receives. In the video, MRR is presented as a more sustainable and valuable income source compared to a salary, especially for those looking to build their own startup. It's suggested as a goal for software engineers who want to create successful, scalable businesses.

💡Indie Hackers

Indie Hackers refers to a community of independent创业者 and developers who build and grow their own businesses. The video mentions this community as a source of inspiration and learning for those looking to build software that solves real problems. It suggests engaging with this community to gain insights and ideas for creating valuable software products.

Highlights

Software engineering is both an art and a craft, requiring technical expertise and creativity.

The future of software engineering will see a blend of art and craft, with AI making software development more accessible.

The quality of software engineering will become even more critical as AI enables more people to build software.

The best software solutions will be those that are thoughtfully designed and well implemented.

To stand out as a software engineer, one must build real projects that solve real problems.

Building clones of popular tools is not recommended; instead, focus on unique projects.

When building software, consider every use case and button behavior to ensure depth in design and functionality.

Engage with a community of builders to learn, share, and get feedback on your projects.

Aim to get real users for your software to learn from their perspectives and improve your product.

Real users will help identify bugs and areas for improvement in user experience.

The end goal of building software is to solve problems and make the world better.

Having real users and solving real problems can lead to paid software services.

Building real projects can also help in getting a job or starting your own startup.

It's important to start with a problem and design a solution that considers all use cases.

Discussing and sharing your projects publicly can lead to collaboration and user acquisition.

Building software that simplifies complex problems can lead to new business opportunities.

The process of building real solutions can uncover new problems and opportunities for innovation.

Open-source software can be a stepping stone to building a community and potentially a business.

The world belongs to builders, and there's a plethora of software waiting to be created.

Transcripts

[Music]

what's up you guys I'm back with another

video and in today's video we're going

to talk about the future of software

engineering and how I believe the role

is going to evolve in the coming years

so let's get started all right before we

talk about the future let's talk about

what software engineering really is like

what does it mean to you well to me it's

both an art and a craft it's a craft in

the sense that it demands technical

expertise precision and a Relentless

pursuit of Excellence we write code to

solve a problem we fix the bugs and keep

making it better through updates but

software engineering is also very much

an art form it requires creativity

Innovation and the ability to design

elegant solutions to complex problems

when we design user interfaces or

architecting systems we're not just

following a rule book we are creating

inventing and pushing boundaries think

about it the best software isn't just

functional it's also beautiful and

invokes an emotion in the user's

experience this is why the best tools

and apps that we use on a daily basis

have a beautifully designed user

interface and a delightful user

experience well now that we have

established that Baseline let's talk

about where we going I believe that this

dual nature of software engineering the

art and craft form is going to blend

even more in the coming future as AI

makes it more accessible more people can

build more software it's going to be

very important to raise the bar of the

quality of these Solutions I believe

that yes you will have hundreds of

alternatives for every app or every

problem that you want to solve the

winner in each category is going to be

the most thoughtfully designed and most

well implemented quality Solutions so in

this world the quality of software

engineering becomes even more important

because yes today you can use AI like

cursor and Claude to build like a very

good demo with a very good initial

starting point of an application but

when you launch it you will see how much

it lacks the depth the depth of thinking

the depth of Designing it and like

there's just too many use cases to

consider so what do you do about it if

you want to be a software engineer in

this highly competitive market you have

to stand out you have to have this High

bar of quality in the product that you

build this is your craft and you have to

be a master of the craft so my

recommendation is to shift your mindset

instead of building clones of popular

tools like Netflix clone and YouTube

clone and stuff like this build real

projects build real projects that solve

real problems and when you're building

these things right what will happen is

you'll start to see how much you have to

think about every single use case every

single button and how it behaves and

what it does when you build a simple

clone project you look at it like okay

my project is looking kind of like

YouTube and it has these video tiles and

stuff but you don't know what's broken

you don't know what's not working you

don't know where the bugs are you don't

know if that's the right use of it you

know so I would suggest like let's start

with a problem right think about a

problem that you personally face or

somebody you know faces in their daily

lives and then we will think about how

we will solve this problem with software

once you put in this thought you design

a solution which is like which considers

all these use cases in mind and then you

make a software that solves this problem

that makes it easy for the person it

solves their pain points and that's when

you really get the essence of software

engineering so I would suggest that

start with a problem think about the

problems that you face or talk to people

like talk to marketers and designers and

even developers like there's so many

problems so many frustrating things we

face while building so when you start

building solutions for these that's when

you will build real projects and you can

build these real projects in public

right if you if you go to Twitter

there's a vibrant build-in public

Community you can participate in this

community talk about what you're

building and just build connections with

similar people who are in similar

Journeys in the end what's going to

happen is you're going to get users your

goal should be to get real users for

your software and that's when you will

start to learn a lot more because

different users will see your software

from different perspectives you might be

you know tunnel vision into believing

that what you've built is beautiful and

the best piece of software in the world

but when other people start using it you

will start seeing the gaps you will

start seeing how other people perceive

it like what you believe a button should

do might not be what is the natural

intuition of another user so when you

start having real users you will start

noticing bugs you will start noticing

how you can optimize and improve your

user experience and that's when you're

getting into the real mindset of a

software engineer and when you have real

users and you're solving a real problem

for them trust me they will be more than

happy to pay you for it this is is the

Turning Point guys this is what I want

you to understand the end goal of

building software is to solve problems

to make the world better so that's what

you should keep in mind when working on

your next project once you have these

real users and you're solving a real

paino for them I'm sure they will be

happy to pay you for it well in the

worst case you can use these projects to

talk to other companies about look this

is what I've built this is similar to

what you guys are building and I love

working on this problem space it can

help you get a job at the very least but

in the best case scenario you have built

your own startup this is what I want to

really push I want us all to build

multiple startups in different

categories and in different markets and

I want us to take it forward all the way

to having real users and real paying

customers and growing it as a startup

because trust me Mr or monthly recurring

revenue is much better than salary it's

a lot more sustainable and it's a lot

more valuable having said that I know

that in the beginning it might seem hard

to come up with these problems and to

come up with the solutions to these

problems that's why you have me and you

have the internet you know start using

Twitter and getting involved in these

discussions start engaging with people

who are building start following the

people who are building there's a whole

Indie hackers building public Community

they're all building useful softwares

and what they're doing is basically

taking these big companies like big SAS

companies of Silicon Valley and they are

taking their most used features or most

painful features and they're building a

new product just based on one feature if

you solve one feature really well and

that one feature adds value to a

business they're going to pay you for it

and this is going to be going deep into

one problem space like I can show you a

lot of examples if you want me to make a

video about what kind of startups people

are building and what kind of startups

you can build let me know in the

comments down below and I'll start

working on it but for this one I just

want to give you a highle mindset of how

to think about problems and how to start

thinking about building software and how

to get into the real software

engineering world and another important

but underrated thing is when you start

working on these real projects and you

start rolling it out to customers and

deploying it and launching it you will

start seeing so so many new problems so

many frustrations like oh you know like

why is it so hard to do this why do I

have to waste so much time to do this

little thing maybe I can build a

software to simplify this because trust

me these are the real problems that real

people face like for example when I was

building Philly I noticed this problem

that okay I need to get logs right I

need to when I'm building it in

development I see all the logs on my

terminal or on my console when it's

running in production it's hard to get

those logs surface back to you there's a

lot of solutions like Sentry for error

reporting there's paper tril better

stack there's a lot of solutions that

people have built for logging but I

wanted something really really simple

that I can customize and use just for

myself and what I came up with was a

simple telegram based solution so like

the logging from the front end goes to a

cloudflare worker and it gets routed to

a telegram which that telegram texts me

that hey there's this problem and then I

can easily go and fix it right but this

took some time I had to go and register

for a telegram API I have to go create a

bot and then move these tokens and set

up an API endpoint in this moment I had

this idea maybe I could build a simple

service that somebody can just come in

and create a telegram bot with one click

and Route it to wherever they want it

and then they have the simple telegram

based logger which is easy to use and

it's free because telegram is free so

you know like you could sell the

solution easily for I don't know $15 $20

a month or you could sell it for a

lifetime value whatever works for you

but this is just one of these examples

right as you start working on these real

problems and building real solutions you

will run into so many more problems that

everybody runs into and building a good

userfriendly solution to these problems

is what's going to take you to the next

level that's how you should be thinking

about it and like I said in the worst

case you can start talking about what

you're building online and start maybe

sharing it as an open source tool

there's a huge movement on Twitter going

on right now where people are building

open- Source alternatives to popular

paid SAS software and this is a great

way to start as well maybe you like some

software which is a paid size

subscription software you can build a

simpler open source version of it and

you will start seeing so many people

support you and so many people join

together in this and in the worst case

scenario it will lead you to your next

job but that shouldn't be your goal that

should be your plan B plan a is to

convert this into a real business into a

real startup with real monthly recording

Revenue that's what I would suggest and

that's why I would recommend building

because I believe the world belongs to

builders and we are just getting started

there's so much more software to build

in this world and we are going to be the

ones building this so let me know what

you're going to build in the comments

down below and if you don't have ideas

let me know that in the comments as well

so I can start thinking about how I can

start sharing a lot more ideas with you

because this is me I get new ideas every

single day doing normal things now I

have so many ideas for so many software

tools that I can build but I don't have

the time but I'm happy to share this

with you guys and I'm hoping that you

can build this and one day you can have

your own company and hopefully I can

contribute a little bit into it as well

well that's it for this video I hope you

like this one and I'll see you on the

next one