I've been thinking about this conversation. It's been bothering me because I don't think I was as helpful as I might have been. The rewards of time and practice as a programmer keep coming. Especially if you challenge yourself and avoid spending too much time in IDEs and frameworks or letting AI or any other tool hide the details from you too much. I've been writing computer programs since I was 8. For 40 years! (💀) I got into the business in the dot com bubble. When everyone was leaving, I was doubling down and basically running into the burning building. Buy on fear. It was more autism than bravery or wisdom, but it really paid off for me. The compounding effects of working on your craft for a few decades are very deeply satisfying. You can program all your life and get better and better. I wouldn't worry too much about new tools. Embrace them, don't let them scare you off, and don't let them get in the way of your growth either. Just think carefully about how you use them. It's just like buying Bitcoin in a bear market. Now is the time which is the biggest opportunity to invest in yourself and your craft. Get ahead of this curve. That's my opinion anyway. Don't do it if you don't love it. Do something you love and are good at. But if you do, this AI situation is nothing to be discouraged by. Quite the opposite. Just survive it and stack the kinds of skills that will last. Hope that unasked-for advice isn't too annoying. Intended to be helpful. YMMV