u/Glum-Emotion8839

I’ve been working in software for a few years now, and AI has become such a normal part of my workflow that I barely think about it anymore, when I first started using these tools heavily, I was honestly impressed. They saved me hours of repetitive work and made it much easier to get through things like boilerplate, debugging, documentation, and small features. I got pretty comfortable with them and started building my own prompts and workflows around them, for a while, it felt like having a really good assistant.
But lately, I’ve been feeling pretty burned out by the whole thing.

I miss actually getting deep into a codebase. I miss arguing about implementation details with another engineer. I miss those random conversations where you learn something because someone has been dealing with the same weird system for five years or maybe I'm just burned out, but lately I've been thinking about doing something completely unrelated to software in my free time just to feel like I'm building and learning something again.

has anyone else reached this point where AI isn't making the job harder, but somehow it's making the job feel less satisfying?

Looking back, I wish someone had told me that becoming a better developer isn't about learning every programming language or framework. It's about being consistent, asking questions, and not being afraid to make mistakes. I used to think I had to know everything before I could contribute, but I learned that growth comes from building real projects, solving problems, and learning from every challenge. If I could talk to my younger self, I'd simply say: keep coding, stay curious, and don't compare your journey to anyone else's.

been applying to entry level jobs for months now and almost every single one wants 2-3 years experience minimum. like how is that entry level at that point feels like theres no actual way in anymore unless you already know someone or got lucky with an internship that turned into something. anyone else dealing with this or figure out a way around it..

remember when being a dev meant recruiters sliding into your inbox weekly, companies throwing signing bonuses around, and free food at every office. You could learn to code and basically walk into a six figure job in a few years. Now its layoffs every quarter, AI doing half the entry level work, and hundreds of applicants per posting. Not trying to be all doom and gloom but the vibe shift is real. … 

Been grinding through this degree for a while now and lately ive been wondering if I shouldve gone a different route. The market is brutal, everyone and their mom is doing leetcode, and half the time I dont even enjoy what were building. Not saying I hate it completely but sometimes I catch myself looking at people in other fields who seem way less stressed and actually have jobs lined up. Is it just burnout talking or did anyone else feel this and actually switch paths???

trying to figure out which certs are actually worth paying for right now versus just resume decoration nobody checks. corporate feels like it wants ten different skills at once but i don’t wanna waste money chasing whatever's trendy this year. anyone actually seen a cert translate into a raise or new opportunity, or is real experience still the only thing that moves the needle..

feels like the market's changed so much even a solid degree doesn't guarantee anything anymore. seeing more people say bootcamps are basically dead but also seeing grads with actual degrees struggling to land interviews too. genuinely asking, does the paper still matter or is it more about what you can actually build at this poi