I'm 19, been doing software (as a hobby) for the past five years, should I continue pursuing it or look into something else?
I have been doing this about 12 years, and am quite comfortable in my position though. I can understand anxieties for new entrants in an industry that historically has been solid and reliable alongside high-paying. But fundamental shifts in how we work don't necessarily mean gloom. It means innovation on fronts that we haven't had to think about it for a while.
If making things excites you, its a great time to be doing it.
> I can understand anxieties for new entrants in an industry that historically has been solid and reliable alongside high-paying
I started in tech in the 90's. Between 1994-2014 I worked _way_ more than most people in most industries because IT (and management) is one of those exempt labor categorizes. High-paying, sure... but when you spend a decade or two working 50-55 hours a week the hourly rate ain't so good. :)
However, I location-optimized. I started in rural Ohio ~2hrs from Detroit, and ended up in New York City after some bouncing to smaller tech cities climbing the ladder. But I think my hourly rate comes out pretty great, even historically to my career beginning, especially for a non-college-grad.
If you can pass a fizz-buzz interview screen, that’s a different story.
I would also suggest creating content about to interests. Live coding or explanatory videos that could be useful to somebody else, attract attention to you, and prove you are no AI-fraud if they actually hire you.
Depending on your skill, consulting offers will (probably) come your way without much marketing effort.
Anyone telling you you'll be replaced by AI soon is delusional.
Though I'd say the bigger hallmark it's nowhere near is the more obvious one: code has to work, which AI isn't good at. It's very good at sending emails though - replacing the managers is the more likely thing to happen first. Why have a layer of middle management when scheduling software, AI summaries and agentic tools could empower 1 person to direct multiple teams and where hallucinations or mistakes are more easily corrected since nothing crashes you just have a slightly confused subordinate at times?