I originally posted this post on my blog.
As developers, we can't agree on much: tabs vs spaces, what "unit" really means in unit testing. But one thing we all agree on?
There's too much hype these days. And it's exhausting.
A new faster better AI tool promising to kill jobs, "X% of code is generated by AI" at every FAANG, and the stock market reacting to those announcements. Arrggg!
The other day, Olga started a discussion on how we stay sane in all these recent AI hype.
I wanted to expand my original comment in her post. So here's what I do to stay sane:
1. Pick the right battles.
After some years, we reach a point where we should find peace in what we choose to learn and what to ignore.
I consider myself a backend developer and I'm fine missing out on every new JavaScript framework or "something.js" library out there. That was a battle I decided not to fight anymore. Pick yours.
2. Start an information diet.
Find one single source of "official" information. Maybe company blogs or newsletters or trusted YouTube channels.
3. Prefer long-form over short-form content.
Books go through a solid vetting process before they reach us.
But social media content goes viral without any vetting process and builds up the hype... And the more likes, comments, and memes, the larger the hype.
4. Invest in what has passed the test of time.
What has already survived the test of time will outlive recent trends.
We're still using C/C++, SQL, and jQuery, and reading about stoicism. Chances are those same subjects will survive another decade or two. I wouldn't bet all my money on it, though.
5. Wait for the dust to settle down.
Again, just see what stands after months or years.
Xamarin, Silverlight, Flash... All of them are gone. And just last year, we got Devin, the first AI software engineer. That was the first threat to our jobs. It was all over the headlines. These days? I haven't heard about it since then.
6. Embrace just-in-time learning.
Instead of learning about every new shiny object, learn how to learn.
And learn about new frameworks and tools in the context of real-world projects. I changed my mind about trying to learn about everything at once.
Recently, I finished Skip the Line and learned fast learning strategies. That's a good read next to Pragmatic Thinking and Learning.
7. Understand there will always be a new hype.
I've seen the cloud, mobile apps, and now AI.
And guess what? There were dozens before and there will be dozens more in the future. Let's see what stands after the hype fades.
Starting out or already on the software engineering journey? Join my free 7-day email course to refactor your coding career and save years and thousands of dollars' worth of career mistakes.
Top comments (6)
Very true. Just taking Computer Science into account (when compared to other sciences), the amount of knowledge to absorb is vast. As you say, there's a lot of hype around web development frameworks today (well, yes, apart from AI engines), too much/too many, even to people concentrating on that field.
But anyway, even the amount of new programming languages, development environments and so on, is so large, that you have to accept you're not going to be able to embrace it all.
Even C# has lots of new syntax quirks, many of them I don't know about!
At least, I don't care about C++ anymore. I mean, they have poured so many new features inside it, that the old joke of "an octopus created by sticking tentacles to a dog" does not start to describe it.
100% I already found peace on missing all the JavaScript (React, Vue, etc) world
I also focused more on backend work, but is consider myself to be a web developer. So I kept on following the frontend evolution.
There are things that were flawed from the start when you apply it to every type of website.
With all the javascript experimentation there was at least a drive in the programming community. And that is the biggest thing that is lacking from the latest hypes like blockchain/web3 and AI.
You see in the car industry, which is highly robotized, that more and more recalls happen. If you have one worker on the line that had a bad day the consequences are smaller than a robot that produces an error working day and night.
Being slower and needing rest can be a good thing.
While I think AI has benefits, I don't like that the compagnies that make for profit models want to make programming the killer application. It is never going to work because not all websites have the same goal and requirements.
AI is not going to evolve the programming community because, despite the name, it is not intelligent.
With javascript going mainstream there was an influx of people, and with AI they are pushing them back out. I think because of AI the programming community is going to loose a bunch of people that are good at it.
I like to think of AI as Tony Starks wearing the IronMan suit, to be more capable. But the suit still needs someone in charge.
Absolutely!
Hype in Technology
Strategies to Stay Sane
Start an Information Diet
Prefer Long-Form Over Short-Form Content
Invest in Timeless Knowledge
Wait for the Dust to Settle
Embrace Just-in-Time Learning
Acknowledge Continuous Hype Cycles
made with love by axrisi
Hello buddy! grab your awesome up to $15 in DuckyBSC tokens before it’s gone! — Hurry up! Bonus unlocks after wallet connect. 👉 duckybsc.xyz
Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments. Some comments have been hidden by the post's author - find out more