Ken

But we aren't really there yet. An AI agent isn't a human worker. If your entire workforce is agents, and the manager can’t read code, who is doing the code review? Who catches the subtle memory leaks or security vulnerabilities? Infact in large projects, you need direction, a solid architecture. For now, that is done with a great developer.

@kenrt_ You don't though, do you, you need strong creatives, with trained imaginations who know how to get the best out of a workforce. A good manager doesn't need the same skill as their team, they just need to know how to manage that team - that team, in this case, are agents.

Trying to learn coding right now feels pointless sometimes. AI can write most of it better than I can. So why even bother? I'm still figuring this out.

@DanteHarker That may be applicable in the future, but it's still quite uncertain. Agents right now needs great technical direction, and with that you need 'good developers'.

@kenrt_ I know, Ken, I was correcting your moan - the future doesn't belong to 'good developers' - it belongs to those who can creatively manage a team of AI developers. Clinging to any other idea, will only slow personal progress.

@DanteHarker That’s the opposite of what I'm trying to say. It’s perfect for a senior or a founder shipping a product. But for someone starting out, that instant 'workforce' is a massive distraction from the slow, boring phase required to actually become a good developer.

@kenrt_ Or... how amazing is it that you can use something like Cursor and have an entire coding work force just waiting on your next instructions :)

@buildwithparas Exactly, that's the ultimate trap.

@kenrt_ if the ai writes better than you can read it, you wont catch when its wrong

@mc_code_ Well I'm reffering to the 'old school' programming. Where you program yourself, look at documentations, spend hours debugging, etc. It will take longer but you will learn a lot more. Plus, you'd do this just with small projects.

Honestly I think going fully without AI is even slower. Quick q though, when you say no AI, do you still use google? Because if you do, it's basically the same thing but slower. AI gives you a hint and you solve it yourself, vs opening 10 tabs and ending up copy pasting code you don't even understand.

@mc_code_ That's intersting, but don't you think it slows you down Especially with large projects, typing everything could be a hassle. I've thought of perhaps making several mini projects without any AI at all. Just documentation and available resources.

@kenrt_ For me personally, the way I learn is I let AI explain and review, but I never let it write the code. I type every line myself. You still move fast but you actually understand what you're building.

@RafaelNegronX I guess that's the way to do it. I'm thinking of spending a couple hours everyday building a project without any AI assistance. Just documentation, and online resources. I've forgotten a lot the past year, I hope it comes back!

That’s a key point you made at the end, and one that I’m trying to reconcile myself with. Instead, during my working hours, I go all in on AI and use it to the best of my ability. At night, on my own time, I do “trad-coding” to keep both skills sharp. I can still learn about systems and programming in the same way as before.

@HowieHardcore Yup, that something I agree with. Envisioning the outcome and writing it down is a huge part of it.

@kenrt_ It's about asking questions, envisioning the outcome and iterating to completion. Soft project oversight skills, not hard language writing skills.

@jeff_mill2 What's the best way to do it today? Spending a couple hours each day building a project without any AI assitance?

@kenrt_ It's not pointless it's different. You're not learning to write every line anymore. You're learning to read AI's output, spot the lies, and fix the subtle bugs. That skill still requires understanding how code works. Learn the fundamentals then let AI be your typing fingers.

@RafaelNegronX But I feel like the landscape has shifted quite dramatically. Learning systems today isn't the same with how you'd learn systems in the past. You'd have to resist the urge of using AI to finish a project immediately.

@kenrt_ It’s still worth it, because, at least in my opinion, being able to program well, think in systems, and use AI to multiply yourself will be beneficial in the future. You even see this with the CEOs backtracking on their statements about AI replacing most work.

@malachiburke Thanks Mal! That's reassuring.

@kenrt_ AI code is pretty mediocre. You're just still learning. We all were just learning once. You got this.

@mc_code_ So you'd say, spend some time learning or making a project without any AI assitance? That way you'll learn the fundamentald right.

@kenrt_ I asked myself the same thing. Then I realized: if you don't understand the code, you can't direct the AI either. The fundamentals aren't pointless, they're what separates a prompt from a product.

@codylschuldt I agree 100%, but with tools that can finish an entire project immediately, how does one learn the fundamentals of software development today?

@kenrt_ You have to understand the fundamentals of software development to know if it's working correctly and be able to tell it what to do next. One shot prompts don't work for anything you're going to sell like a saas.

@TacticoolTech Yes, but that's exactly the point. Existing senior dev's are well off, junior dev's however or those starting out has it way harder. We have to understand how something works while resisting the urge to finish a project instantly.

@kenrt_ I think AI raises the floor, but coding still raises the ceiling. Someone who understands how software works can usually get far more out of AI than someone who doesn't.

@raisingaikids It's easier said than done. AI agents has become dopamine inducing tools. Those with little pre-AI experience fall into the trap of efficieny. How does one learn architecture today?

It's not pointless. The learning curve just moved up the stack. You're not learning syntax anymore. You're learning architecture, trade-offs, debugging, and knowing what the hell you're looking at when AI confidently writes broken code. AI didn't make coding pointless — it made understanding it more valuable than ever. The people still typing everything by hand aren't the ones who know everything. They're the ones stuck on the old curve.

Thomas make me a million dollars. Make no mistakes.

I've got a lot of free time right now. What's a cool side project to build?

@JBirdCyber Cybersecurity always seemed very mysterious for me. I tried some ctf's but that's about it.

@kenrt_ Cybersecurity imo. Towards the end sprinkle into cybersecurity for AI 🥴

I'm thinking of learning something new for 2 months, without AI. Just pure documentation and the indomitable human spirit. What's the best thing to learn right now? - ML - Cybersecurity - Something else? I'll be documenting the whole way.

@ClimStefan It's not done yet. Early beta starts in 7 days!

@kenrt_ can i test it?

Drop your product below 👇 Feedback day! I want to see what you're building. This counts as marketing. This brings traffic. This gets you followers. Last time seen by over 3500 people. Let's go!