will sense prevail in my job search or will i become an "ai-first" dev?
i have been looking for the next job for a little bit, and i've noticed that most job ads now not only rely heavily on ai for writing the actual job description, but working with ai is one of the main tasks on the job. one such position i had applied for "ai-powered fullstack engineer" (they ended up going with someone else for the position).
i am fighting an internal battle: do i go deeper into the ai bubble, apply for "ai-first" companies, or do i try to do what i feel deep within me is right - hone up my skills as a developer? is that even marketable these days? or do i push more towards the positions that the market rewards - i do need a job for the stable income. if i cannot work somewhere that aligns with my values fully, perhaps that is unavoidable, considering my anti-survelliance / slow tech / open-source thing going on?
like, according to my standards, working at linux would be out of the question also (any opinions of linus tornvalds other than his opinions on computers are reactionary, inflammatory, and childish). are my standards that the company i am working for should essentially mirror all of my beliefs? that's stupid of me.
the convo for the fullstack thing was so bad. the guy kept saying how he can deploy "apps" every day, and how he gets claude to talk to gemini and problem-solve "together". i felt a wave of disappointment wash over me. i am sad that they didn't end up offering me a position, sure, but at the same time i was relieved. it's a weird mix.
i suppose there are levels to how deeply the company can misalign with your values and still going for it. i would not work for any war / defence agency, but i would go for companies that deal with lotto, for example. ai is a gray zone - i'd prefer to avoid "ai-first" anything, mostly because i believe that working at such a place dumbs the person down and makes them less employable down the line.