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I think it's a mistake to assume that quality doesn't plummet when cost does, even if the AI is capable of quality work. The quality issue will always resurface
by dofm 3d ago
I think it's a mistake to assume that quality doesn't plummet when cost does, even if the AI is capable of quality work. The quality issue will always resurface.
But yeah — I mean, I am a freelancer who burned out for reasons that are rather more influenced by the SaaS wave. That was hard to compete with. People choose between the solution that meets their needs and changing their processes to meet the ten-times-cheaper solution that doesn't, and that decision is often not at all irrational; by and large you want as many of your problems to be shared problems as possible.
I am trying to return to work so I am looking at what AI can really do for me, but the conclusion I draw is that since I cannot simply burn token money to solve people's problems, and because bugs cost me money, I need a strategy where I remain in full control of actual code, but LLMs help me do things faster. If I can't solve that, I am out.
Perhaps AI will upend the SaaS market before it fucks the freelancer market and the balance may temporarily shift. But it probably won't.
And at that point, as a fiftysomething, even with a bit of financial security, I start thinking about living a rather shorter, happier life, instead of a longer one. Because as much as I might have ideas, I don't think there is much I can switch to where I have appropriately deep skills to survive AI there, and all those alternative jobs will be oversubscribed and less likely to hire me.
I wonder if people in this industry have understood what we are doing to ourselves, to our friends.
- somenameforme 3d agoA bit of a tangent here, but I'd look into lower cost of living areas if you have the ability to move/remote, even moreso if you'll be drawing social security or have a pension. Money just goes so much further, and with an overall much better quality of life. And there's always stuff like teaching, moreso because it's enjoyable than for the paycheck. But in these parts of the world, making a few bucks doing whatever in the software world goes so much further. Because of that I think LLMs are bringing in something like a temporary golden age. And these parts of the world will be the last to have the lights go out on software simply because the low cost of living means there's a whole lot more slack to give before things get bad.
- dofm 3d agoI am moving to somewhere cheaper, yes. Though since my passport is no longer strong (British), my choice/range of cheaper is a lot more limited. Quality of life will not improve, because I will be lonelier (plus I have a great quality of life here in other ways, that many places cannot match) but I am mostly reconciled to that loss. I will have a fair bit more flexibility in use of space, which means I can be a bit more of a portfolio-earner; I do have some fringe skills that could make some money still, and I can have a little workshop or studio. > But in these parts of the world, making a few bucks doing whatever in the software world goes so much further. I am (undiagnosed but very obviously) ADHD and I don't tend to find it easy to make a sustainable income off "a few bucks" here and there; the effort expenditure in managing it always ends up subsidising the work. It's part of why I am burned out. I need thicker strands of work and those are fewer and further between. I have little certainty when things will get bad, but I do think it likely it happens in the next five or six years, and I do know that when things do get bad they favour the young. Which I am not. It is clear to me that I am never getting an ordinary dayjob in the tech industry again. I don't mean to sound particularly gloomy but I think mine is the generation whose lifespans will dramatically shorten. I think a lot of single middle aged people (men mostly) in the tech industry will choose the time and manner of their departure. Because we are deliberately creating both misery and job insecurity.
- somenameforme 3d agoI don't think you're being gloomy so much as realistic. It's clear a lot of people either don't realize what's already happened, or are in some sort of denial about it. What you're saying is entirely true and was almost certainly also true during past eras of revolutionary leaps in technology. Fortunately in current times we have far more options than we did in the past, but realizing those options takes a bit of adventurism. Since you already have that in you, I think you'll be surprised what you'll find - entire communities of interesting English speaking tech-oriented folks, many with more than a few grey hairs, would be just the start. And don't forget the teaching aspect. If you have a degree, smarts, some basic charisma, and can roll with a bit of chaos - you'll find plentiful opportunities to teach any topic imaginable. It's not just English, like many think. It's really quite fun!