Today I read a post on Hacker News about AI and how it’s changing the identity of coders. The post talks about coders becoming managers—or people who oversee machines—versus the brains of creatives that solve problems. I don’t disagree with those ideas, but I see my value in those, too. Ultimately, I’m someone who gets things done and align my identity as so.
Maybe that’s different from a consultant or expert. I’m not a full-time heads-down coder. If I feel like AI can get more things done and provide more value for clients and coworkers, then that’s awesome. Utilizing AI to solve problems has enabled me to get more done in shorter amounts of time. That’s what I want my identity to be when clients, friends, or others think of me from a professional standpoint: I want them to think of me as someone who gets things done.
Like most clients, they don’t care how I build the solution or what tech I use. They want me to get their problem solved. There is so much value in being someone who others can rely on to just get the work done. Obama has this great interview where he encourages people to be known for getting things done. Bringing AI into my workflow has really helped me get more done for clients.
Example
I’m working as a staff aug lead architect on a project right now. When one of the developers needs help with code that doesn’t work, I can take the code, paste it into ChatGPT, frame the context, tech stack and desired outcome for this chunk of code then ask why this code doesn’t solve the problem. AI will tell me its thoughts. With a little back and forth, I can ask more the robot why a few more times to get a full understanding. If it’s a flow that I’m not familiar with or I don’t know why it’s failing, I can use this iteration to get answers right away. Then after I understand the problem more, I can give my recommendation on the solution and what the robot needs to do to fix the problem.
This works because I’ve got 25 years of software development experience, so I already have an idea of what the problem is. Or at least there is a general idea of what's going on. My experience precedes the conversation and lets me direct the robot. It’s using the robot to save me time. Fixed code and replying to issues is where the time savings really come in.
I am able to save the mental effort of diving into the codebase, setting up a development environment to slowly step through and debug code. Instead the AI can create recommendations for fixes. Without this help, I would have to dig in and test all the code myself. All this takes time. Now I can take the AI recommendation and test that output code right away. Then I can fix the problem and move right on to the next.
AI as a Helper
AI is a great helper and lets me get more done than I ever would without it. This really makes my identity as someone who gets things done grow bigger.
I understand why coders who see themselves as people who are there to write good software - who base their careers on fixing bugs with elegant fixes, crafting complex software - all while finding satisfaction in the process might feel like they’re losing something. I feel that way too sometimes. That’s why I have a bunch of side projects that I don’t use AI for. I want to use my brain to solve complex code problems. I still love the hit of dopamine I get when I solve a bug without the help of the robot. But when it comes to my job, I need to get things done. The faster the better.
Think of it like a car. Having a car is a great way to get across town quickly with little effort. But sometimes I like the slow pace of a walk. A walk through town is slow, I take in the sounds and feel the breeze. It takes more effort, but I usually feel really good after it.