> I really don’t want to continue. The novelty is gone, dealing with AI now feels frustrating and boring, I miss engaging deeply with the actual lower level technical challenges. I do not want to manage fleets of agents.
I've tried to stay away for a variety of reasons (not approving of the way the tech was developed hovering up everyone's data for commercial gain, high amongst them), but the company I'm now part of (due to them buying us) is drinking deep from the GenAI water fountain, so I will very soon have no choice but to engage or be pushed out¹. I get it, I see the benefits, but it feels like turning into a manager (for GenAI agents rather than people, but still…) which is something I've always avoided because I want to tinker, I got into programming and database work because I like to play with the nitty-gritty details and I'm going to have to let that go.
To be frank, there is a sizable part of me that has wanted to be out of tech for a while² for various reasons³ and that part of me would prefer to go waiting tables if that is what it takes to escape! Maybe then I can reclaim tinkering as a hobby.
--------
[1] Redundancy would be nice, with 26 years service the statutory minimums would be more than enough to tide me by for a while, but I expect they'd not do that. I'd instead be put on a PIP for not performing (assuming they can make a case for not engaging with GenAI making me less efficient), and if I still don't play ball that'll be grounds for dismissal.
[2] Or at least take a fairly long sebatical.
[3] Not liking remote teams being a significant one, and even though I go into the office⁴ I'm still remote because most of everyone else is.
I've tried to stay away for a variety of reasons (not approving of the way the tech was developed hovering up everyone's data for commercial gain, high amongst them), but the company I'm now part of (due to them buying us) is drinking deep from the GenAI water fountain, so I will very soon have no choice but to engage or be pushed out¹. I get it, I see the benefits, but it feels like turning into a manager (for GenAI agents rather than people, but still…) which is something I've always avoided because I want to tinker, I got into programming and database work because I like to play with the nitty-gritty details and I'm going to have to let that go.
To be frank, there is a sizable part of me that has wanted to be out of tech for a while² for various reasons³ and that part of me would prefer to go waiting tables if that is what it takes to escape! Maybe then I can reclaim tinkering as a hobby.
--------
[1] Redundancy would be nice, with 26 years service the statutory minimums would be more than enough to tide me by for a while, but I expect they'd not do that. I'd instead be put on a PIP for not performing (assuming they can make a case for not engaging with GenAI making me less efficient), and if I still don't play ball that'll be grounds for dismissal.
[2] Or at least take a fairly long sebatical.
[3] Not liking remote teams being a significant one, and even though I go into the office⁴ I'm still remote because most of everyone else is.
[4] which grants me the home/work separation