Why You Should Listen to Me:
I’m a principal engineer, which means I hire a lot of developers. I also hire developers for my personal projects.
Why This Is a Bad Time to Launch Your Career as a Software Developer: If you’re a rockstar developer (and you know if you are), none of this applies to you—and you’re too busy to read it anyway. Everyone else, pay attention.
Hiring patterns change on the margin: If you have a rare skill or unique talent, you’ll get hired. But junior devs are competing with the masses, and they’re getting hit hardest by recent changes.
1. Bad Economy
In today’s high-interest-rate environment, companies are tightening their budgets, slowing down hiring, and focusing on cost-effectiveness. Here’s how it impacts software developers:
Preference for Senior Devs: Companies are prioritizing experienced hires who can deliver results immediately with minimal oversight. A single senior developer (costing $120K–$200K per year in the U.S.) is often seen as a better investment than hiring multiple juniors who require significant training, mentorship, and ramp-up time. From a business perspective, one senior dev can often replace the productivity of three or more juniors, making them a more cost-effective and reliable choice in a tight economy.
Increased Outsourcing: When additional manpower is needed, companies are opting for cheaper offshore options. Indian developers, for instance, charge $15–$30/hour on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, compared to U.S. juniors who often expect $50/hour or more.
2. Global Market Post-COVID
COVID-19 accelerated remote work and broadened the hiring pool. Companies are no longer limited to local talent and can access highly skilled developers abroad:
For personal projects, I’ve hired developers from Pakistan and Ukraine who charge around $20/hour. They’ve delivered excellent results for a fraction of the U.S. cost.
The number of international freelance developers on platforms like Upwork increased by +30% since 2020, creating intense competition for entry-level roles.
Developers in countries with lower costs of living can afford to undercut U.S. rates significantly while maintaining strong work quality.
3. AI Is Replacing Junior Developers
AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT-4 have dramatically increased developer productivity:
Studies show that developers using AI can produce code 2–10x faster, reducing the need for larger teams.
In many cases, engineering managers (myself included) and product owners are using AI to write code directly. It’s often faster than coordinating with a team—and eliminates the need to hire more people.
Junior-level work like boilerplate coding, debugging, or basic scripting is increasingly automated, shrinking the demand for entry-level roles.
Conclusion:
It’s not a great time to jumpstart a software developer career. Competition is high, opportunities for juniors are shrinking, and AI is eroding entry-level job availability.
(That said, if you have serious passion and raw talent, go for it anyway.)
Why You Should Still Learn to Code:
While it may not be the best time to launch a career, it’s an excellent time to learn to code. Here’s why:
LLM Tools Empower Non-Techies: Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT make it easier than ever to launch apps and automate daily workflows.
Basic Coding Knowledge Is Key: To use these tools effectively, you still need a solid grasp of programming basics and syntax. Think of it as a power multiplier—your potential grows exponentially with even moderate coding proficiency.
submitted by /u/HeroicLife
[link] [comments]
r/cscareerquestions Why You Should Listen to Me: I’m a principal engineer, which means I hire a lot of developers. I also hire developers for my personal projects. Why This Is a Bad Time to Launch Your Career as a Software Developer: If you’re a rockstar developer (and you know if you are), none of this applies to you—and you’re too busy to read it anyway. Everyone else, pay attention. Hiring patterns change on the margin: If you have a rare skill or unique talent, you’ll get hired. But junior devs are competing with the masses, and they’re getting hit hardest by recent changes. 1. Bad Economy In today’s high-interest-rate environment, companies are tightening their budgets, slowing down hiring, and focusing on cost-effectiveness. Here’s how it impacts software developers: Preference for Senior Devs: Companies are prioritizing experienced hires who can deliver results immediately with minimal oversight. A single senior developer (costing $120K–$200K per year in the U.S.) is often seen as a better investment than hiring multiple juniors who require significant training, mentorship, and ramp-up time. From a business perspective, one senior dev can often replace the productivity of three or more juniors, making them a more cost-effective and reliable choice in a tight economy. Increased Outsourcing: When additional manpower is needed, companies are opting for cheaper offshore options. Indian developers, for instance, charge $15–$30/hour on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, compared to U.S. juniors who often expect $50/hour or more. 2. Global Market Post-COVID COVID-19 accelerated remote work and broadened the hiring pool. Companies are no longer limited to local talent and can access highly skilled developers abroad: For personal projects, I’ve hired developers from Pakistan and Ukraine who charge around $20/hour. They’ve delivered excellent results for a fraction of the U.S. cost. The number of international freelance developers on platforms like Upwork increased by +30% since 2020, creating intense competition for entry-level roles. Developers in countries with lower costs of living can afford to undercut U.S. rates significantly while maintaining strong work quality. 3. AI Is Replacing Junior Developers AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT-4 have dramatically increased developer productivity: Studies show that developers using AI can produce code 2–10x faster, reducing the need for larger teams. In many cases, engineering managers (myself included) and product owners are using AI to write code directly. It’s often faster than coordinating with a team—and eliminates the need to hire more people. Junior-level work like boilerplate coding, debugging, or basic scripting is increasingly automated, shrinking the demand for entry-level roles. Conclusion: It’s not a great time to jumpstart a software developer career. Competition is high, opportunities for juniors are shrinking, and AI is eroding entry-level job availability. (That said, if you have serious passion and raw talent, go for it anyway.) Why You Should Still Learn to Code: While it may not be the best time to launch a career, it’s an excellent time to learn to code. Here’s why: LLM Tools Empower Non-Techies: Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT make it easier than ever to launch apps and automate daily workflows. Basic Coding Knowledge Is Key: To use these tools effectively, you still need a solid grasp of programming basics and syntax. Think of it as a power multiplier—your potential grows exponentially with even moderate coding proficiency. submitted by /u/HeroicLife [link] [comments]
Why You Should Listen to Me:
I’m a principal engineer, which means I hire a lot of developers. I also hire developers for my personal projects.
Why This Is a Bad Time to Launch Your Career as a Software Developer: If you’re a rockstar developer (and you know if you are), none of this applies to you—and you’re too busy to read it anyway. Everyone else, pay attention.
Hiring patterns change on the margin: If you have a rare skill or unique talent, you’ll get hired. But junior devs are competing with the masses, and they’re getting hit hardest by recent changes.
1. Bad Economy
In today’s high-interest-rate environment, companies are tightening their budgets, slowing down hiring, and focusing on cost-effectiveness. Here’s how it impacts software developers:
Preference for Senior Devs: Companies are prioritizing experienced hires who can deliver results immediately with minimal oversight. A single senior developer (costing $120K–$200K per year in the U.S.) is often seen as a better investment than hiring multiple juniors who require significant training, mentorship, and ramp-up time. From a business perspective, one senior dev can often replace the productivity of three or more juniors, making them a more cost-effective and reliable choice in a tight economy.
Increased Outsourcing: When additional manpower is needed, companies are opting for cheaper offshore options. Indian developers, for instance, charge $15–$30/hour on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, compared to U.S. juniors who often expect $50/hour or more.
2. Global Market Post-COVID
COVID-19 accelerated remote work and broadened the hiring pool. Companies are no longer limited to local talent and can access highly skilled developers abroad:
For personal projects, I’ve hired developers from Pakistan and Ukraine who charge around $20/hour. They’ve delivered excellent results for a fraction of the U.S. cost.
The number of international freelance developers on platforms like Upwork increased by +30% since 2020, creating intense competition for entry-level roles.
Developers in countries with lower costs of living can afford to undercut U.S. rates significantly while maintaining strong work quality.
3. AI Is Replacing Junior Developers
AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT-4 have dramatically increased developer productivity:
Studies show that developers using AI can produce code 2–10x faster, reducing the need for larger teams.
In many cases, engineering managers (myself included) and product owners are using AI to write code directly. It’s often faster than coordinating with a team—and eliminates the need to hire more people.
Junior-level work like boilerplate coding, debugging, or basic scripting is increasingly automated, shrinking the demand for entry-level roles.
Conclusion:
It’s not a great time to jumpstart a software developer career. Competition is high, opportunities for juniors are shrinking, and AI is eroding entry-level job availability.
(That said, if you have serious passion and raw talent, go for it anyway.)
Why You Should Still Learn to Code:
While it may not be the best time to launch a career, it’s an excellent time to learn to code. Here’s why:
LLM Tools Empower Non-Techies: Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT make it easier than ever to launch apps and automate daily workflows.
Basic Coding Knowledge Is Key: To use these tools effectively, you still need a solid grasp of programming basics and syntax. Think of it as a power multiplier—your potential grows exponentially with even moderate coding proficiency.
submitted by /u/HeroicLife
[link] [comments]