A Vortex Could Be a Wave: Advice to the Next Generation of Engineers
Part 1 of a 2-Part Series on Thriving Through Technological Upheaval
“Dad, is AI really going to take away coding jobs?”
My son, a computer science student at Berkeley, asked me this last week over dinner.
It’s a question many young engineers are asking today — and rightfully so. We’re entering a new era where the technological landscape is shifting so fast that even seasoned professionals are scrambling to keep up. But if you’re early in your career, this moment isn’t just a threat — it’s an opportunity, if you know how to ride the wave.
Let me take you back to the early 2000s. I had just landed in the U.S. during the tail end of the Y2K wave. Jobs were drying up, startups were collapsing, and companies were laying off engineers faster than they were hiring. I found myself working multiple jobs just to stay afloat. There were days I couldn’t afford rent — I slept in my car or on the floor of an acquaintance’s apartment. But I also knew: if I held on and kept learning, this vortex would eventually give way to a wave.
And it did.
The Key: Hunker Down and Upgrade
Vortex moments look scary — AI, layoffs, new programming paradigms. But the key to surviving them is learning how to hunker down. That doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means slowing down, staying in the game, and upgrading your skills.
When the cloud wave began, I left a cushy director job — Platinum corporate card, VIP seats at Cavaliers games, a brand-new house — to take an individual contributor job at Microsoft. Many called it a demotion. But it became one of the best decisions of my life. I learned how big companies scale. I was exposed to disciplined engineering and process maturity. I slowed down to grow fast later.
Later, at Amazon Prime Video, I had no team on Day 1. I built the machine learning and recommendation teams from scratch. I took tough feedback and stayed open to learning. That foundation helped me embrace the AI revolution long before ChatGPT became a household name.
Vortex Moments Are Where Legends Are Born
If you’re graduating or just a few years into your tech career, this is your Y2K or cloud moment. AI is going to reshape jobs. But don’t get discouraged — get determined. Learn how to:
Build things that matter, not just things that trend.
Develop deep systems thinking alongside prompt engineering.
Prioritize collaboration, empathy, and communication — not just code.
Because the engineers who come out of this phase with curiosity, humility, and discipline? They will be the next generation of leaders.
Learn from the Past, Prepare for the Future
Every time the ground beneath tech shifts, there’s a tendency to panic. But if history tells us anything, it’s that the people who adapt, slow down to learn, and position themselves right — they don’t just survive. They thrive.
AI will change everything. And yes, some jobs will disappear. But many new ones will be created — if you’re ready.
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. In Part 2, I’ll speak to mid-career professionals who may be feeling stuck or nervous. Those with 15+ years left in their careers face a different kind of challenge — and opportunity.
Stay tuned.