I do not feel like a programmer anymore
The author feels their role has shifted from coding to architecting systems and managing complexity, no longer identifying purely as a programmer but as a broader problem-solver and engineer.
Background
- The author is a senior software engineer reflecting on how AI coding assistants (like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude) have shifted his daily work from writing code line-by-line to prompting, reviewing, and orchestrating AI-generated code.
- He argues that the job title "programmer" no longer fits because the core skill has changed from manual implementation to directing AI, reading diffs, and debugging generated output — a role closer to a technical reviewer or AI handler.
- This mirrors a broader debate in tech: as LLMs get better at generating code, experienced developers question whether their profession is being redefined (or devalued), while less experienced coders may struggle to build deep understanding when AI writes most of the code for them.
- The post resonates with many engineers who feel their day-to-day craft is shifting from "building" to "supervising", raising open questions about skill decay, junior developer training, and long-term job identity.