Old School Coding Won’t Save Your Career

A veteran developer argues that AI tools represent a paradigm shift as significant as the move from Perl CGI to modern web frameworks. Developers who ignore AI will become irrelevant, but AI alone won't replace skilled developers — it acts as a multiplier (5-10x productivity) for those with real programming knowledge. Non-developers using AI produce 'slop code' riddled with bugs and security issues, often getting stuck at 80% completion. The key insight: AI amplifies existing developer skill, so foundational knowledge remains essential even as the toolset evolves.