Over the years I have often gotten emails from people early in their careers looking for advice on building a career in CS or in FOSS especially. I've always had a few pointers to offer to get them on the right foot. But lately, with people asking how to build a career in the face of overwhelming AI adoption... I just don't know what to tell them anymore.
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@drew Advice always has to be mindful of context for the recipient anyway; here is a time when it's likely more important to make certain dimensions explicit. So you can tell them that your advice is different depending on stuff like:
What's the recipient's appetite for risk? How long are they ok trying something in uncertain, volatile conditions?
Do they have other people nearby who will understand, encourage and sustain them while they're bucking trends?
@drew For those with little appetite for risk, I think the most defensible position is:
We do not know how the next few decades will go when it comes to this field, but there is a strong possibility that the level of competition and struggle to make it your living will be more at parity with "singer" than "nurse". If so, this is too risky a path for you.
@brainwane @drew my god, our entire society runs on computers. If we can't give the people maintaining computer systems a steady living wage, unlike most musicians, crucial systems will grind to a halt and people will die. Your prediction may be accurate but that sounds pretty grim.
Of course, everyone deserves a living wage and the necessities of life, including musicians.
@drew mind if I suggest something?