If I Were a Junior Dev Today: A Survival Guide for the AI Era

When I started coding 12 years ago, the path to be a great developer was straightforward. You studied, learned how to Google / Stack Overflow (RIP) and built things. That was it.

Today ? The landscape is shifting. Between the endless flood of new AI tools and the weekly headlines declaring the "end of software engineering" it's easy for junior devs to feel completely lost. Honestly, you can't blame juniors for wondering if they'll even have a job next year or if all their hard work and learning is for nothing.

But here's the truth: the future is bright if you know how to navigate it. If I were starting out today, here's exactly what I would focus on to get a head start.

1. Embrace "Vibe Coding" (But Keep It Real)

First things first: You have to learn to use AI properly. Like it or not, AI is going to be a permanent addition to the workflow of any developer.

Start by "vibe coding" an entire application quickly. Have an idea for a simple Node.js todo app ? Vibe code the entire thing with AI. But here is the catch, once you've built it, try to implement that exact same app from scratch without AI. The app that you just vibe coded is an example to base your learning on.

We are problem solvers first and foremost. Whether you are typing out every line of code or guiding an AI to do it, you're still solving problems. But understanding how the code actually works under the hood is what will give you the edge in the future. Good engineering is not lost in the AI era, it's essential.

2. Focus on the Product, Not Just the Code

The future of development is all about building great products. AI isn't going to magically replace good decision making, solid user experiences or well thought out architectures.

AI won't build a great product on its own, people using AI will. If you're learning today, spend time understanding how to craft amazing user experiences and how to architect software that scales (Be careful, simplicity wins here). The questions you ask yourself shouldn't be about the code but about the users.

3. Exploit Your "Junior Advantage"

You have a massive hidden advantage: you are a blank slate.

A lot of senior developers are stuck in their ways, clinging to older tools and struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of new AI tech (seniors have responsibilities outside of work). You, on the other hand, have the time, the energy and the adaptability to be a sponge. Experiment with different tools and approaches. Your adaptability is your superpower right now.

4. Use AI as Your Personal Senior Dev

AI is incredible at explaining things. Take advantage of it!

Go clone a random open source project and just start asking questions using AI. Have the LLM explain the architecture, the structure, why certain decisions were made and what alternative approaches exist. It's like having an infinitely patient senior developer sitting right next to you. The speed at which a junior can get up and running is astonishing because of this instant context aware superpower called LLM. We always had access to this information via docs and forums but now AI synthesizes it to answer your exact questions immediately.

5. Don't Skip the Boring Basics

The fundamentals aren't going anywhere. You still need to learn Git, Docker, CLI, infrastructure and languages. These are the daily tools of every dev and they will continue to be the foundation of software engineering, no matter how smart the AI gets. You can't just skip the basics, you have to learn them.

6. Yes, You Should Still Write Code (Even LeetCode)

I know it sounds crazy but doing some LeetCode is actually incredibly useful right now.

It's not because you're going to be writing complex sorting algorithms from scratch on the job. It's because writing code makes you better at reading code. When you're using AI to generate features, you're going to run into bugs. If you can't read and debug the code the AI spits out, you're going to be stuck. Practicing your coding chops makes fixing those AI generated issues a breeze.

The Takeaway

The industry is seriously undervaluing the potential of junior developers right now. I honestly believe juniors have the biggest leverage because they can adopt and master these new AI workflows so much faster than the veterans.

Don't panic about the future. Integrate AI into your everyday learning, master the fundamentals and focus on building great products.

You've got this. 🦾