I've used Copilot and chatGPT to help with algorithms where I'm unsure where to start. Actual case: "Write a performant algorithm to find the number of work days given a future date". It's trickier than you think and makes a great interview question.
Both AI tools came back with...garbage. Loops within loops within loops as they iterated through each day to check if the day is a weekend or not, is a leap year and to account for the extra day, is it a holiday or not, etc.
However, chatGPT provided a clever division to cut the dataset down to weeks, then process the result. I ended up using that portion in my final algorithm creation.
So, my take on AI coding tools are: "Buyer beware. Your results may vary".
Walked away from 20 years of software development last year. I've been day and swing trading stocks for last 2 years. I'm now trading full time and doing great. I don't miss the daily stand-ups, scrum meetings, planning meetings, "quick chats", one-on-ones with management, weekly department meetings, monthly company meetings, and late night critical support calls one bit!
I "pay myself first". I get up early and get at least 1 hour in on my side project. Sometimes I wake up earlier and so be it - 2 hours some days. I also make sure I know the very next thing I need to work on before that morning work session, that way I'm not just staring at the project reviewing which way to go in my pre-coffee brain.
A great question. I'm partially-grizzled (only 20 years experience) and looking for the same thing. Some sort of Principle Software Engineer with technical focus and no direct people management responsibilities. Searching LinkedIn brings back plenty of job hits...but it's mostly MegaCorp jobs like you mention.
The crazy thing is...I've seen a high altitude weather balloon above my house. Very easy to identify. Now, the other thing I saw above my house at a different time...that is the thing I cannot explain. The little puffy clouds were moving with the wind against a deep blue sky, the single perfectly round silver sphere above them was not. I watched it as it was motionless as the clouds passed for several minutes. Then after one larger cloud...it was gone.
My wife's father (my father-in-law) passed away just 2 days ago at 75 years old with severe dementia due to a series of mini-strokes in his brain over the last ~5-6 years. I can't remember the medical term, but due to weakened and brittle blood vessels in the brain from plaque build-ups within the vessels. Doctors said he was in perfect health other than this single reason. With each mini-stroke, you could see him get knocked down step by step. He'd recover a little, but never back to baseline (which kept getting lower).
Seeing him go from the strong-handshaking, always smiling Minnesota corn farmer patriarch who regularly would outwork me when I'd be helping him with house projects....to seeing him take his last breath surrounded by his wife, 4 daughters, several granddaughters, and me...was heartbreaking.
...from the article, Jo was 40 years old. I'm 47 as I type this and cannot comprehend that happening so early.
I've done well during the Covid crisis buying Fastenal FAST and Grainer GWW. Each time they dipped I bought, and will continue to do this. They are not the cool kids tech companies, but the stuff they make, the world always needs.
Both AI tools came back with...garbage. Loops within loops within loops as they iterated through each day to check if the day is a weekend or not, is a leap year and to account for the extra day, is it a holiday or not, etc.
However, chatGPT provided a clever division to cut the dataset down to weeks, then process the result. I ended up using that portion in my final algorithm creation.
So, my take on AI coding tools are: "Buyer beware. Your results may vary".