Alright so if you're like me you've probably noticed dev work ain't what it used to be. We're in the middle of this wild AI boom and honestly it's kinda flipping everything upside down. Thought I’d break it down with some real talk and give ya 10 ways dev life has changed from before AI started showing off.

1. Writing code from scratch vs Just asking the AI

Before You wanted a function you’d crack your knuckles and write that sucker from a blank file. Google was your best friend. Maybe Stack Overflow saved your butt more times than you’d like to admit.

Now You just tell ChatGPT or Copilot “yo make me a function that takes a list of names and returns initials” and BAM done. You barely touched your keyboard. Half the time you don't even read the code until it's broken.

def get_initials(names):
    return [f"{name.split()[0][0]}{name.split()[-1][0]}" for name in names]

see what I mean it’s like magic

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2. Stack Overflow was king vs kinda irrelevant sometimes now

SO used to be THE PLACE. Now? I barely go unless the AI gives me some garbage code and I gotta fact check it.

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3. Documentation digging vs "lemme just ask"

Remember spending 45 mins scrolling thru some API docs with no search bar. Yeah me neither. Now it’s like

"Hey AI how do I upload a file with axios in React"

and you get a working snippet and maybe even a lil explanation if the model’s feeling generous.

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4. Googling 100 times a day vs 10 maybe

Used to live in my browser tabs. Now? Just talk to the AI. Saves me so much context switching and I stay in flow way longer.

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5. Code reviews were intense vs “did AI write this?”

Code reviews used to be the place to prove you knew your stuff. Now half the time we're like “did you even write this?” And it’s not even an insult anymore just a legit question.

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6. You had to know the whole stack vs now you just bluff till it works

Not saying you shouldn't know your stack but these days you can fake it till you make it with AI help. Like yeah sure I know GraphQL asks AI what even is graphql again.

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7. Tests were optional vs now they’re your only hope

AI writes the code cool cool cool but can you trust it?? Nope. So now testing is even more important cause that code might look slick but it's got bugs hiding like gremlins.

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8. Debugging was skill vs now it’s also detective work

Before you kinda knew where to look. Now? You’re debugging stuff the AI wrote and you didn’t really understand it to begin with. Feels like being in a crime scene with no clues.

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9. Devs were gatekeepers vs now AI leveled the field

Used to be only folks with CS degrees or years of grind could build stuff. Now folks with zero experience are deploying full apps in a weekend. It’s cool and also scary.

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10. Burnout was real vs now it's different

Back then burnout was from overwork now it’s like existential. Like will I even have a job if AI keeps getting smarter. Will my skills still matter. What even is programming now.

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So what do we do?

Honestly just gotta adapt. Keep learning. Learn to ask better questions. Build stuff with AI not just next to it. Stay curious. Get real comfy being uncomfortable.

Anyway if you made it this far congrats you're either nostalgic or slightly freaked out and same tbh.