Why does coding pay well
Why does coding pay well? 4 reasons:
1. Keeping up with the syntax, patterns, best-practices, and tools is hard work. Many can’t do it, or aren’t willing to.
2. It’s isolating. Many people would rather spend their days away from a computer screen.
3. It requires excellent communication skills. You’re basically a translator. Developers translate English to code.
4. Due to 1-3, there has been a shortage of good developers for years.
My concern for 2025: There is no longer a developer shortage. And AI translates English to code. I can tell my editor what to do in plain English. So, I don’t have to translate English to syntax as often anymore. I merely validate. And when a mistake occurs, I tell AI to fix it. Sure, it often fails, but it’s getting better daily.
Yes, I still need to be a good communicator in the age of AI. But communicating in English is a much lower bar than translating English to code.
Long term, it seems likely a non-technical product owner will be able to build effective software via English commands alone.
All of this pushes down salaries, and reduces the number of developers required to deliver a product.
What am I missing?