Maybe look at how OpenAI hires engineers themselves.
They've hired 3 employees away from my company now and all three had 15 years of industry experience and no AI experience.
Building a really good product hasn't been automated yet. Debugging super complex production issues involving multiple systems hasn't been automated yet. The creativity and expression of a design system that represents the company's values hasn't been automated yet.
They need the world's experts in these areas to help build AI that remotely has a chance of progressing beyond spitting out code for solved problems.
Now bootcamp grads who did 12 weeks of standard materials... it's more arguable that AI agents are closer to those people skills wise. And the lack of experience means there is less extra value you can bring to the table as a SWE.
What bootcamp grads could do are jobs like AI trainer and Prompt Engineer. These aren't SWE jobs and they will likely not be long term jobs but they might be good starting places. If you can do a job like this and moonlight shadowing engineers and getting some shadow experience, you might be more valuable as a SWE.
u/cglee wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
If you've been in the industry long enough, you'll see potentially career destroying calamity around every corner every couple of years. This time may be different, but probably not. Also, if you can step out of the "salary mind" for a minute, we just got a cool new tool to play
u/michaelnovatireplied·★ FEATURED
The definition of an engineer is a problem solver.
Story time.
When I graduated college they gave everyone an "iron ring". It was forged from the materials of a collapsed bridge, where the engineers were found liable for screwing up.
I didn't want to wear my ring because I felt like software was so fuzzy - how can I be responsible for people's lives.
I've changed my tune. Software engineers are just as responsible for their code as a civil engineer is for their bridge.
Now ask yourself. Is a 12 week bootcamp grad someone who you would trust to build a bridge for you.
Obviously not. I would barely/likely not trust a new grad engineer to do it.
Telling bootcamp grads they are mid level and senior engineers is not just offensive, misleading and irresponsible.... it's reckless.
Encouraging a bootcamp grad to build a bridge and telling them they are a super senior engineer because of their capabilities.... and then washing your hands of the responsibility that comes when the bridge collapses is incompentance.
Codesmith, I'm looking at you.