Kognitos reposted this
With the rapid rise of AI tools, it’s easy to be tempted into using them for every task—whether crafting text or generating code. While AI offers impressive speed and convenience, it’s crucial to pause and assess how much relying on these tools truly benefits your long-term career. For software engineers, especially those early in their journey, it’s important to resist the urge to have every line of code written by AI. Letting AI do all the heavy lifting can short-circuit your learning process and limit the depth of your technical understanding. Of course, this advice assumes your core goal is to grow as an engineer—if entrepreneurship and rapid prototyping are your main focus, the equation might look different. Personally, I rely on AI for routine coding tasks that don’t drive much personal learning, and I often use it to brainstorm designs, improve code quality, or spark new ideas. But when I’m picking up a new language or framework, I let myself struggle through the learning curve. That initial friction is part of building expertise. Even here at Kognitos we use LLMs heavily, but we heavily focus on learning, code reviews, design and critical thinking. (Side note: While even this post benefited from a final AI polish—the bulk of the thoughts were written without it.) The bottom line: Use AI intentionally to complement your growth, not replace it. Your experience and problem-solving skills are what set you apart. #ai #softwareengineering #careergrowth #intentionallearning