In the previous post, we discussed where we came from as an industry, where we currently are and what the job of a software engineer (should) comprise. We also saw that most software engineers only fulfill a small part of what the role actually comprises, leading to direct competition with modern AI solutions that most likely we will not win.
In the previous post, we discussed that detail knowledge, one of the major differentiators in software engineering careers, ceases to be a differentiator due to the growing capabilities of modern AI solutions. Whatever relevant detail knowledge a software engineer can have, these tools also can have. We stopped with the question what is left to software engineers in such a changing landscape, how to preserve one’s value.
At the moment, we see a lot of discussions revolving ChatGPT and other modern AI tools like, e.g., GitHub Copilot. Many managers praise them as the new silver bullet to beat the (often self-made) skills shortage that will make software developers redundant while driving software development efficiency to unprecedented heights.
In the previous post, we started with the observation that companies (still) want to break up their monoliths into microservices. If you ask them what they expect from this measure, they typically expect to cure the “big ball of mud” issue with microservices or to improve their time to market with them.
Time and again clients approach my colleagues and me with the request that they want to break up their monolith into microservices and they ask us how to do this best. Apparently, they are convinced that breaking up the monolith into microservices will solve some big problems they had for a long time.