Hello. I’m 17, I’ve loved computers since I was 5. I’m a pretty decent programmer, I’ve done some big projects, worked with teams on extended projects, and have a pretty decent understanding of programming/linux/networking/security/etc. I generally write C, Rust, Python, and TS. I attend a STEM school that specialises in CS and engineering, and I’m in my first year of A Levels (UK) studying Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Computer Science. I’m on track to get As and A*s. The plan 6 months ago was – get good grades, go to a good uni, get a CS degree while doing programming to pay for uni/do a degree apprenticeship, and go into a CS career. Without LLMs messing the world up, I think it’s a pretty good plan. I’m a good programmer for my age and I’m academic. However, with recent developments, that seems borderline foolish. I’m interested in physics and engineering, I think I could enjoy a career in either, and I’ve still got time to pivot to either. I might be able to write better code than GPT-10 – might – but there would surely be increased competition. I also just don’t find asking a LLM in the “correct” way and having it spit out code trained on millions of other programmers interesting in the slightest. I worry that actually knowing how to write code without a LLM will go the way of knowing assembly and having intimate knowledge of a computers internals. I’m frankly tired of hearing about LLMs, but I know that I can’t just pretend they don’t exist. I have less than a year to make a decision on which uni courses I apply to and I don’t know whether I should abandon a sinking ship or hope it’s alright and it stops here, as an aid but not something which ruins programming. I’ve seen people saying “But we’ll still need to translate client requirements to prompts” – 1. I doubt that’ll pay well, and while that’s not my primary motivation it is something to consider before committing myself, 2. I’m not interested in being a human-bullshit to AI-bullshit translator. And yes, there’s more to CS than programming, but not in a way that pays the bills. If I pivoted I’d still write code “The old fashioned way” for fun. So: What do I do? I’d appreciate some advice. Thanks 🙂
Story Published at: March 21, 2023 at 10:46PM
Story Published at: March 21, 2023 at 10:46PM