Personally, I think the biggest difference with vibe coding is that programmers barely learn anything substantial from the process.
In traditional development, although the efficiency is lower, every bug, every fix, and every refactor turns into accumulated experience. The next time you encounter a similar problem, you handle it faster and with more confidence.
But in vibe coding, while versions can be generated and iterated rapidly, programmers’ understanding of underlying logic and system architecture tends to weaken.
This shift is driving a growing polarization among programmers. On one hand, senior engineers with deep technical understanding can leverage AI to massively amplify their productivity—one person can effectively do the work of ten. On the other hand, much of the work that junior developers rely on is being replaced by AI, limiting their growth.
It’s foreseeable that the traditional career path (intern → junior → mid-level → senior) will be disrupted. The demand for junior and mid-level developers may shrink significantly, while the demand for highly skilled engineers continues to grow.
The era of programmers as interchangeable “cogs” is fading. The industry is moving past its phase of rapid expansion into one of selection and contraction. It’s no longer as simple as taking a few online courses, building a couple of projects, memorizing interview questions, and landing a job.
What remains are those who truly understand technology and can handle complex systems.
Working on projects has left me feeling lost. The ideas sound great, but when it comes to execution, everything falls apart. After days of effort and money spent, the result doesn’t even qualify as a proper demo—it’s frustrating.
I’ve participated in a few events as well, but after all the hustle, I didn’t really learn anything meaningful. I feel lost—truly lost. Was getting into Web3 the right decision? Was choosing computer science the right path? I’m not so sure anymore.
No matter what I say now, though, it feels like it’s already too late.