#226 - New Coders Can't Code?
Episode description
The rise of AI coding tools has fundamentally changed how people learn programming, creating a concerning trend: developers who can produce impressive-looking applications without understanding how they work.
What makes a developer truly valuable? Contrary to popular belief, it's not the ability to rapidly generate new code. A revealing LinkedIn survey showed 73% of experienced developers spend most of their time reading existing code rather than writing it. The real value comes from engineering judgment – knowing which approach to take and understanding why certain solutions work better than others.
"The entire act of keystrokes is not what the value in software engineering is."
Instead, it's about developing the mental models that let you reason through complex systems.
"If you don't know what this code is doing, then why is it in the codebase? And why is your name on it?"
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Zubin's LinkedIn (ex-lawyer, former Googler, Brian-look-a-like)