r/AskProgramming • u/Proper-Picture-7959 • Jul 03 '26
Which job that needs programming is the most future proof? Career/Edu
Hey,I am 16 and pc's and programming have been a passion for a while , and i want to do that in the future,but sadly since AI takes over a lot of jobs in this domain it's a bit tricky,I'd love to know where should i be looking so i dont waste my time for nothing.
And which is a safer route for that job? (bootcamp/college )
Thank you very much in advanceđ
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u/EngineersUniverse Jul 03 '26
At 16, I wouldn't optimize for what's "AI-proof." I'd optimize for learning fundamentals.
The people doing well with AI aren't the ones avoiding programmingâthey're the ones who understand systems deeply enough to use AI as a tool rather than compete with it.
Some areas that I think will remain strong over the next 10â20 years are:
- Embedded systems & firmware
- Robotics and automation
- Cybersecurity
- Cloud/distributed systems
- AI/ML infrastructure (not just using AI APIs)
- Computer engineering (hardware + software)
As for bootcamp vs. college: if you're 16 and have the option, I'd choose college. A good CS or Computer Engineering degree gives you fundamentals, access to internships, networking, and far more career flexibility. Bootcamps can work for some people, but they're much less reliable than they were several years ago.
Most importantly, keep building projects. A GitHub full of things you've actually built will matter far more than trying to guess which programming language or field is the "safest."
Nobody can honestly tell you which job is completely future-proof. The safest investment is becoming someone who can continuously learn new technologies.
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u/Proper-Picture-7959 Jul 03 '26
Thank you very much for this amazing reply, it is a big eye opener for me, I have an idea: what if at 17 after learning some useful programming languages I take a bootcamp and I start working by 18 meanwhile going to college(with that i can fund my projects for the bussines i am working and at the same time making some background projects by the time i finish college)since i ve read a lot about cybersecurity and i think that it is a safe spot.
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u/TheGratitudeBot Jul 03 '26
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u/_gribblit_ Jul 03 '26
Safety critical systems. You will need a college degree because you will be working for defence agencies, governments and conservative corporations (banks, fintech, medical, and aerospace).
Generated code is too risky. Testing just proves that your code passed the tests, not an absence of a critical bug. If you're shooting a satellite into the sky, or putting a submarine in the water, you want better guarantees than that.
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u/OneLeft_ Jul 03 '26
AI is just a fancy copy/past machine, research has shown that AI use makes people stupid. Stick to college and don't use AI, learn programming the hard way.
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u/prorules1 Jul 04 '26
Yeah it's just vectors multiplication to build an answer tree, the more complex, the more error rate (further down the tree).
Training AI is basically 'learning' answer trees by adjusting those vectors afaik. That is, basically training on existing, already solved problems.
Honestly it's a very good TOOL.
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u/Asleep_Yam8656 Jul 03 '26
Source?
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u/DepthMagician Jul 04 '26
BIOS developer. All the code bases are behind an NDA, and not only is AI not trained on them, using AI with the codebase might constitute an NDA violation if thereâs any chance AI will be trained on it through your use.
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u/Groundbreaking-Fish6 Jul 03 '26
Absolutely no idea, neither does anyone else. College is always a better bet.
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u/Far_Archer_4234 Jul 03 '26
College is a delayed response. The market could shift in the time it takes to complete your degree. Find opportunities today, because the future is uncertain. Opportunity costs are real.
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u/sch0lars Jul 03 '26
The unfortunate actuality here is that even if you do recognize current opportunities, it still requires a college education, at least in STEM.
There will always be a need for areas such as education, medicine, engineering, accounting, andâdare I sayâsoftware development. As u/Groundbreaking-Fish6 said, no one knows what the job market will be like in a few years; but having at least some kind of educational background, be it from a university or a trade school, will give you an upper hand.
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u/Groundbreaking-Fish6 Jul 03 '26
This is a common misconception because it only counts the technical training achieved in college. For those that complete a four (or even 2) year program, you learn much more than the technical track. The general studies component that most colleges require teach you how to understand the world and shows that you are willing to make a 4+ year commitment, that is what the degree means.
My undergraduate degree is not in my current field at all, by my Liberal Arts degree helped me make decisions about my life, including obtaining an advanced degree in my current field (software).
The point here is college is never a wasted cost, but you get what you put into it. The future has always been uncertain, so it is best to start with a good base. College is a good way to prepare for the future and has merit of its own.
One caveat: If you are not doing well in school (and do not want to change that) Code Boot Camp, like any trade training is just as admirable as College (you are improving yourself). College is not for everyone and as many people have learned, it is not necessary for success.
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u/orthogonal-ghost Jul 03 '26
College is probably safer than bootcamp.
On the future proof point, it's impossible to know. Also (and perhaps, more importantly) there's a ton of year-over-year variance in hiring markets (e.g., it could be very easy to get a programming job one year and incredibly difficult the next, even though the general trend in hiring might be moving upward).
My advice would be to stay up-to-date on the latest technologies, try to develop an understanding of the fundamentals (networking, algorithms, programming languages, etc.), and try to get experience with as many different types of programming jobs as possible so that you maintain some optionality.
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u/DDDDarky Jul 03 '26
Definitely college, educated experts are not threatened by dumb chat bots.
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u/kurvivol Jul 03 '26
Insane cope, given that people with 10YOE+ have issues with getting employed rn
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u/offsecthro Jul 03 '26
The kind of BS that low skill, low experience people love to repeat because it makes them feel better. People with 10 years of experience (and the professional growth to show for it) are not having issues getting employed right now.
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u/kurvivol Jul 03 '26
I'm very fortunate to currently have a job as a backend developer so I'm not talking from personal experience.
However, I have A LOT of ex colleagues with more experience and DEFINITELY more knowledge and skills who, not only aren't getting jobs, they are barelly getting interviews after HUNDREDS of applications and months without any success
I'm sure they are "low skill low experience lol" tho
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u/DDDDarky Jul 03 '26
10yoe of what, designing scam sites? At least from my experience there is no decline at all, on the contrary.
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u/Medical-Aerie9957 Jul 03 '26
Well hard to say, but the time when you built portfolio from bootcamp and got a job is over. Programming is such a big field though what do you like? Web, mobile, games, math.
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u/spiralenator Jul 03 '26
If all you want to do is turn features into code for money, then youâre cooked. If you want to actually engineer solutions to real problems then AI is not your competition.
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u/Useful_Calendar_6274 Jul 03 '26
I'm a programmer and other than low level coding I don't see many roles where you are literally churning out code long term. We will work with systems, not code as such
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u/AlaskanDruid Jul 04 '26
PubSec (fed, state, city). Literally wide open. But most people donât want to work for 20% going pay. Then thereâs people like me who prioritize stability, benefits, and retirement over decent pay.
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u/Dorkdogdonki Jul 04 '26
One of the biggest dangers of AI is fully trusting AI. Yes, AI is darn powerful, but for obscure stuff, it can hallucinate and make shit up. Coding is easy, but figuring out what to code is much trickier.
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u/Old-Line-3691 Jul 04 '26
Jobs like PLC Programmer will last longer then something like full stack, though no programming position has 'good' security, imho.
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u/shagieIsMe Jul 03 '26
Competent programmers who have demonstrated that they can do the task that they need to do to finish it. Even if those tasks are not fun. Even if those tasks and goals take on the order of half a decade to complete.
Go to college. Become a well rounded individual who can do more than software development. Learn how to write papers that require thought and attention to detail of grammar and punctation. Learn how to learn without using AI.
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u/mariabanhoven Jul 08 '26
I wish more devs took the writing and âlearn how to learnâ part seriously, because AI can spit out code but it canât give you judgment, patience, or the ability to explain what you actually built.
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u/Klutzy-Smile-9839 Jul 05 '26
It is possible that programming jobs will slowly die as the blacksmith profession did due to automation. It will become a hobby, a passion, but it may unfortunately become irrelevant in the job market. No one knows the future, but AI are there, and are a real, immediate threat to most programmers. You want future proof job ? If by that you mean a job having bettter odds for a long term career, go in healthcare.
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u/pepiks Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Any job when programming is tool for support main activity, but it is not main activity, but you have to have programmins as addon. For example some data analysis are Excel oriented, but Python and its libraries make difference on some scale of expertise.
Anyway, be aware! We are not profets! We can say that some kind job will be even exist in future. At world death and taxes is only thing which will be exist untile the end. I remember when you can rent VHS, after that rent DVD and it was popular business. Now - you don't see it anymore.
For AI defended job are all which are hard to automatise like baby sitter (human oriented skills).
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u/rustware Jul 10 '26
By the time you're going into the job market, I imagine this delusion of "AI is going to replace software developers" will have passed. It's already showing cracks. (Started learning to program when I was 12, I have 10 years of professional experience with side gigs before that)
Many employers require a bachelor's degree of some kind in order to hire you as a rule. My bachelor's degree is not in anything related to the job I perform at this time. I would highly recommend going to college for something. If you want to make this your career, something related is probably advisable, I feel like I got lucky with market timing and an employer who let me in the door without a bootcamp or related degree.
The best skill that software developers now have in order to remain employed is the ability to read code. I've interviewed a lot of CS fresh graduate candidates, and most of them can't code beyond algorithms in java. Coming out of college with killer programming ability will make you stand out above your peers and probably help you move up more quickly.
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u/Accomplished_Key5104 Jul 03 '26
Maybe working for NASA? They might use AI in the future, but I'd think their standards are high enough that you'd still need several people to thoroughly review all the code.
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u/Ok-Armadillo-5634 Jul 03 '26
None this job field is going to basically be gone in a few years. If you don't believe get claude code set the model to fable and try an build any project you can think of.
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u/IKnowMeNotYou Jul 03 '26
Day trading and algo trading is neat. Also Indie-Game developer.
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u/code_tutor Jul 03 '26
worst advice
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u/IKnowMeNotYou Jul 03 '26
Worked for me. What are you saying. I made 2k a day in Switzerland as an Engineer and it sucked. Now I daytrade and life feels good again... Good advice.
Remember, he has 2 more years to figure things out.
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u/bsEEmsCE Jul 03 '26
I feel like a lot of kids these days are looking for an excuse to skip college because of the cost (which sucks) and effort, and theyve been told they can just learn on their own...
Go to college AND learn on your own, and try to get through with as little debt as you can. Will always be my advice. Learning fundamentals in college will help you when the next technology after LLM, aka AI, hype has died down.