Introduction
Whenever a new technology is invented or discovered, the world is invariably divided into two parts. One side, which is positive about the way the world will transform into a better one. The other, which takes a negative outlook on things and conclude, the new technology will have no or negative impact on their life
For years, I was a pessimist about artificial intelligence (AI). I strongly believed that AI will be great for humanity, but the research will take a long time and “I” will not live long enough to see any noticeable impact in my lifetime. Today, the world is very different, and it’s all because of one discovery in the field of artificial intelligence.
At the end of 2022 a tweet about ChatGPT announced the upcoming change in the world, and many people’s opinion about AI. But I remained unaffected. I continued to live in denial. I found LLMs to be great under lab conditions but failed at various real-world applications. There were few studies and observations, which also agreed with me
Eventually, AI improved, and started making its way into our lives. AI driven layoffs became normal. And I started believing in the new world
Accepting the new world
The inception of AI driven layoffs was a real eye opener. For years, computer engineers were pampered by companies with high salaries, competitive benefits and job security. However, AI is disrupting all of these, especially job security.
I am no longer in denial, but in acceptance. With such a major shift, it only makes sense to change myself with it. AI has made its way into my workplace. We have been provided with Anthropic’s “Claude Code”. At the time of writing, I have hardly written a single line of code since over a year.
Even though I have made some progress on upskilling, I constantly feel left out in the AI race. Seeing the current state of the world, it’s high time I buckle up and go all-in on the AI wave. But my commitments in my current job and personal life are keeping me from carving out dedicated time to study. After giving it a thought for roughly 6 months. I have decided to leave my cushy job and venture out on my own. I have saved money equivalent to 1 year of expenses for the rainy days
At this point many people ask me - “All this story is fine, but were you facing some issues at your workplace?” The short answer is “Yes, I was”. But I will spare you the details
Venturing out on my own
There are many people (much smarter than me) who have predicted what the future might look like. Some of them which I believe in:
- A section of software engineers will become part of the gig economy. Like how plumbers and carpenters operate today, most of them will work independently, and handful of them will have a permanent employer
- AI will handle the grunt work, giving engineers time to research and innovate. Subsequently we will see a rise in work that requires deep research and expertise
- (Obvious) The time and cost of building software will reduce, giving rise to more softwares. We are already drowning in the world of softwares with thousands of apps and websites. This will only become crazier with time.
I want to be the guy who fits the 2nd profile. But that will require a lot of effort on my part. I will have to become a true master of my craft, to unlock thinking out of the box. I have always been a generalist and that has played well for me. I was able to work on various projects using unknown technologies without breaking a sweat. But with AI, you no longer need to be one. One needs to be smart to hold reins on AI. Guide it to take the best path. I have decided to build a specialisation in frontend
My primary objective is to become exceptionally good at the art of building softwares with AI. I will need to refresh my knowledge in 1) college level computer science education, 2) my current domain of web development and 3) the upcoming field of AI. I want to
My secondary objective is to work on some of the side projects that I couldn’t find time to work on. Like helping my father build a buy/sell signal generator according to his stock market strategies
I have planned my break and made a week-by-week plan that is already 2 months long. For the first couple of weeks, I want to prioritise studying software engineering, which will enable me to be ready to interview at any company with confidence. Later, in the 2nd half of May, I plan to start upskilling on AI and work on my side projects. The plan is long and open-ended, I will have to prioritise items constantly to have an efficient execution
To keep myself motivated and accountable, I will keep posting regular updates on LinkedIn and Twitter
Closing notes
This section is a little poetic
This is the biggest risk that I have taken in my life. Every single person - friend, acquaintance or stranger - has advised me against it, considering the current state of the economy.
I stand at the edge of unknown, unsure of what the future holds. But I have failed a thousand times in my life, and failing one more time wont hurt me. No one in the world has become successful without being a little crazy. To quote Steve Jobs - “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Until then, stay foolish, stay hungry”
This will either be the best step I have taken or the biggest blunder of my life. There is no in-between. and what if it all works out? Be delusional, have faith in yourself