I really understand how you feel, I've been in the industry for 15 years but I'd probably feel similarly if I were in your shoes.
I work in this field because I've always been passionate about it, and the current climate is far from great. Almost everyone is going crazy for AI-assisted coding (including many self-proclaimed senior/staff and above), just looking for ways to become more productive.
Truth is, if you're really passionate about the craft then the gains from AI-coding are marginal. It's nice to let AI do some grunt work, like writing boring unit tests, but all the fun stuff is still left to you.
Try to focus on that, use AI to automate some of the boring, energy-draining stuff, and work hard on the interesting bits while honing your craft. I guarantee you'll come out on top if you follow that plan.
Let all the wannabes get drunk on AI, the way things are shaping up today AI-coding is hitting a ceiling, and there's no risk of good engineers being replaced anytime soon.
Last bit of advice, avoid web development. It's an over saturated field, and most AI companies are focusing on generating web apps. Dive deep in any field that interests you (mobile, backend, data engineering, gaming, embedded, the list is endless) and have a great time while gradually increasing your value and your comp.
I work in this field because I've always been passionate about it, and the current climate is far from great. Almost everyone is going crazy for AI-assisted coding (including many self-proclaimed senior/staff and above), just looking for ways to become more productive.
Truth is, if you're really passionate about the craft then the gains from AI-coding are marginal. It's nice to let AI do some grunt work, like writing boring unit tests, but all the fun stuff is still left to you.
Try to focus on that, use AI to automate some of the boring, energy-draining stuff, and work hard on the interesting bits while honing your craft. I guarantee you'll come out on top if you follow that plan.
Let all the wannabes get drunk on AI, the way things are shaping up today AI-coding is hitting a ceiling, and there's no risk of good engineers being replaced anytime soon.
Last bit of advice, avoid web development. It's an over saturated field, and most AI companies are focusing on generating web apps. Dive deep in any field that interests you (mobile, backend, data engineering, gaming, embedded, the list is endless) and have a great time while gradually increasing your value and your comp.
Good luck!