I prepared this article for personal reasons and I think the structure is not very good and feels messy, but it’s the best way to explain my situation and opinions.
And for those still yelling “where’s the source?”, DUDE, this is a personal article, not a research paper. These are my own observations. You don’t have to agree with me, and I honestly don’t give a fuck if you don’t.
I’ve said billions of times this is personal. Then people come at me with “the industry is not getting foolish!” Well, then stop asking for a source on a personal post—my source is my ass!
I was never someone who works so hard or spends so much time on projects, I was the type of person who enjoys what I do and tries to do my best.
But this year (also the time I began university again) I feel burnout, not just because of the many projects I should complete or assignments, nor social reasons.
AI HYPE
Firstly, my problems actually started when the AI hype began. At first, I didn’t care about the hype too much, but later companies got into it unnecessarily. They acted like we didn’t already have autocompletes. Some companies even laid off employees due to lack of resources (I know it didn’t work out), and it gives me a sense of danger for my occupation.
I was like, what should I do now to avoid AI replacing me? And honestly, I really don’t care about other articles that say AI is just autopilot, it’s sugarcoating. AI literally can replace you if you are a junior programmer. No need to sugarcoat it.
I’m not talking about senior or mid-level programmers; I’m talking about junior programmers. And now some people will say, “but other people also can replace you.” That’s right, but AI is a cheaper solution than a human, so companies tend to replace humans with AI without even thinking.
INDUSTRY
Okay, anyway, that’s the first problem. The other problem is that people in the industry tend to be less cultured. I don’t want to make this long: some people in the industry just aren’t fitting in. They like money, they heard money is good in the industry (actually, it’s also sus today), and they chose it.
In university, some second-year students and even some graduates don’t know how to use Excel. Actually, some of them don’t even know how to log in to email in 5 minutes (they type too slow). Now, you’re telling me I should be happy in this industry with those people? I personally lost so many points in a class just because of this, so I have a beef with them.
I’m not egoistic, but I believe not everyone can fit into something. I suck at art. I really love seeing people who do art because I’m so bad at it, but I’m not trying to get into art because I know art requires skill and passion, not just seeking money.
“Skill can be gained later” is quite correct, but you still need abilities that come from being born to adapt. The biggest lie I’ve heard is, you can do everything if you want too much. It’s just inconsiderate. I’m sure many people will tell you stories about impossible things, but come on—what about failures?
The industry and people go worse day by day. Teammates get stupider. I’m not saying I’m the smartest person on the team all the time, but I can definitely say I bring something to the table every time. But do you know? You don’t need to be the smartest or most brilliant person at the table. You just need to understand the topic and give advice to improve solutions. If you can’t do it, just quit, that’s all!
NOT EVERYONE SHOULD LEARN CODING
“Learn code, everyone can learn code” is also bullshit. No, not everyone can learn code. (I’m talking about programming; yes, you can learn to write some words and run Hello World.) Not everyone can learn art. Not everyone can be a good chef. People are different. No need to put them all in the same category.
Another problem I’ve seen in some companies is that people think if you understand computers, you can code everything. They say, “Please finish this game backend,” and then, “Can you also do this mobile app backend?” Dude, wtf, it’s a whole different world.
They think it’s the same just because we sit in front of a computer. But no, it’s like telling an electronics engineer to do the mechanics of a car! Yes, it happens most of the time in small companies, but also in big companies, believe me.
I’m sure most of you also have personal problems, not just work or industry ones, and all of those get worse and worse. To be honest, at this moment, I have no solution. I don’t want to write the typical stuff like “go to nature and hang out with friends, take a break.” I tried all of them, they don’t work at all.
But sometimes it’s good to scream everything you want to say, like this post. Actually, I prepared this post to scream about what I hate. Of course, there’s more to talk about, but I skipped it because those are personal issues, and I want to keep it general.
CONCLUSION
Anyway, the AI hype is dying, and companies get shitty results when they rely on AI only (ONLY! I still support AI because it really helps sometimes). And it seems people who graduated in computer science are getting foolish, sadly.
I want to focus on games again, I don’t care how shitty, unstable, or low-paying the industry is. I really stopped caring about money or the people I work with, I just want to get back my fun, even if they replace me with AI, I don’t care. At this moment, I will do what I want.
You should also try this: just do what you want and have fun with programming again, like when you finished your first Bash text-based game. (Okay, that’s actually my story, but you get the point.) Because without fun and passion, we will just be corporate slaves who do nothing but let them earn money and eat our souls!
Get your life back. Even if it’s shitty, it’s still yours and you only get one.
