[0:00]There is this one question that I keep getting from people. Whether it's students or parents, they keep asking me if their kids should be studying computer science because they are worried that software engineering might disappear as AI is becoming better at writing code.
[0:12]See, I totally understand where that concern is coming from. AI can now generate code, debug problems, and even build applications.
[0:19]So it is easy to assume that if AI can write code, then software engineers might not be needed anymore. But that view misses what software engineering actually is.
[0:28]Writing code is only a small part of the job. In fact, it is the part that AI has become really good at assisting with.
[0:34]The real work of software engineering is designing systems, architecting the infrastructure and orchestrating multiple components and building products that actually work reliably for users.
[0:44]There is a lot of human-centric component associated with it, and that process involves understanding trade-offs, evaluating user feedback, thinking about developer experience, thinking about performance, cost, and long-term maintainability.
[0:56]And all of these complex decisions require context and human judgment. So when people say software engineering will become irrelevant, they are misunderstanding the nature of the field.
[1:05]See, I'm not saying that the role will not evolve, but it is not going away. Another thing that I often point out is that computer science education has also evolved.
[1:13]Many universities have started integrating machine learning and AI into their curriculums. Computer science and AI are increasingly going hand-in-hand.
[1:20]Now, what excites me even more is the advantage that the young 15, 16 year old now have.
[1:25]They have access to AI tools that can dramatically reduce the barrier to building. They can go from an idea to a prototype faster than what was ever possible.
[1:34]In the past, people needed years of experience or education in order to build real systems. And today, that kind of hands-on experimentation is available much easier.
[1:42]So the real question should not be whether software engineering is going to disappear. A better question to ask is how can we help the next generation of students to become AI native builders?
[1:53]So please let them learn computer science fundamentals, but also encourage them to build things, experiment with AI tools, and develop real-world problem-solving skills and human-centric thinking.
[2:04]Teach them how to learn, teach them how to create, and teach them how to work with people. And it helps to remember that with every technological revolution, people have always believed that certain jobs will disappear completely.
[2:16]Sometimes roles do change, but the more useful way to think about it is not which skill will become irrelevant. The better question is how do we prepare ourselves for the future?
[2:26]So instead of worrying about what might disappear, we should think about the art of what becomes possible next, and we position ourselves to take advantage of those opportunities.
[2:35]That's how you can make your kids future ready.
