‘I’m tired, boss’: Software engineer with nearly 10 years of experience considers farming as AI raises fears over future of tech jobs

A software engineer with nearly 10 years of experience is questioning how long traditional tech jobs will remain secure as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on more complex work. The engineer said the rapid pace of AI development has become so exhausting that he is now seriously considering farming or growing his own food.

The engineer shared his concerns in a post on Reddit, saying he fears there may not be many conventional jobs left in the next five to 10 years. The user's name was not revealed.

"We're living through an absolutely insane time, and we're all trying to keep up, but honestly, I don't even know if we can anymore," he wrote.

"Everything is moving faster than the human brain can process. For the first time in my life, I'm seriously considering getting into farming or growing my own food."

He added, "I genuinely feel like there won't be many real jobs left in 5–10 years."

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He said his view of AI has changed sharply over the past year. Earlier, he believed AI could write code but experienced software engineers would still be needed to design systems and manage complex projects.

Read the viral post here:

That confidence has now weakened.

"It can design systems now. And in many cases, it does a better job than we do. Sometimes I feel like we're actively building the thing that's going to make us obsolete. I'm just tired," he added.

The engineer also questioned whether building websites, developing games and launching software-as-a-service (SaaS) products would continue to have the same value as AI tools become more capable.

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Reddit users offer a different view

Some Reddit users urged him to step back rather than make major career decisions while feeling burnt out.

"Take a break for a long weekend or even a week. Ai tool use has a high burn out factor. You’re making harder decisions more often than you used to, and that is taxing," one user said.

Another suggested taking time off and argued that human oversight would still be needed.

"You might need to just take a break for awhile if you can. Take some PTO. You may be experiencing a bit of AI psychosis. On the bright side, so long as AI keeps hallucinating, it is going to require human oversight. I don't think any enterprise customer is going to trust it 100% if for no other reason than liability. (PS: not to yuck your yum, but AI has already started making inroads with farming.)"

Another Reddit user, who said he has been programming for 30 years, said the rapid changes have been exhausting but also exciting.

"I've been programming for 30 years. It is exhausting, but it's also awesome. No doubt i would feel differently if I was in my 20s, or even 40s, but honestly, I'm having a ball"