There’s an old Russian military joke that goes something like this:

“While our strategical opponents study our maps, we change the terrain to confuse them on the field”

While the joke is hilarious in its silliness, it actually carries a powerful message.

False dichotomy

When change comes, we’re often presented with a false dichotomy. People say things like:

“Either adjust, or die”

Or some other Instagram-level wisdom.

While it would be impossible to argue that being flexible is important, or even essential, but I want to remind you that those aren’t the only two option

It is easy to think that you either play by the “rules of the game” or loose, but there’s (at least one) other option - change the game itself!

You don’t stay ahead of the competition by adapting

So, here’s a problem I personally see in software development industry. We’re being told that we need to “embrace” new ways of doing software. We need to adapt.

But you know who also going to “adapt”? Every-freaking-else!

Make no mistake, AI is here, but embracing and jumping AI bandwagon is not the only available course of action.

You may try to learn new “AI Engineering skills” and the hype bubbles and you end up somewhere close to Blockchain folks.

Or, you may succeed and make a fortune.

Or, you could stay getting good at what you do know (”manual” programming, shall I say?), while others stop getting better - essentially decreasing a competition for you.

And the important bit - no matter what you do - success is not guaranteed. It is a gamble.

So what my advice is?

No matter what you choose - you guess. There’s no guarantee you will win in the long run. Carefully planned plan can be destroyed in a matter of seconds by changes in the environment.

So, put your bets wisely. Since arrival is not guaranteed, the only wise option is to bet on enjoying the ride.

You like learning new skills and shiny tech excites you? Jump the wagon, even if you loose - you win.

You like writing perfect code and dislike “agents” doing your job? Then politely suggest all “change adepts” to go to hell.

It is your ride.