this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
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- Better and fewer working hours.
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Even though programming and IT is a great hobby of mine, I ultimately decided not to pursue it on a university level as I didn't want to potentially turn my hobby into something I despise. I've been regretting this decision a lot throughout my life, but as AI becomes more and more incorporated into the work life of a programmer, I'm starting to feel relief. I would not want to work in that field today.
It's been bad even before that.
But I'm just an old person yelling at clouds.
Programmer here: i actively despise where this field is heading and where it is at right now
i’m studying software engineering rn and honestly i’m not sure i even want to finish my bachelor’s degree. finding an internship (required for the degree) is almost impossible now and even if i do manage to get a job, do i want to spend the rest of my life prompting claude? fuck no!
I am a software dev trained 3 years worked 4. Even i cant find a job. Make of that what you will
As someone who made the opposite decision, I get it. And you're not wrong. I still love what I do when it's just me and some trusted colleagues, but I've had to watch people I trusted deeply in this field fall into just the worst AI holes. Thankfully AI is bad enough that, idk how to put it. I've developed an understanding with management and clients that I might not have an email out saying my project is done as fast as the people that do use AI, but my project will actually be done faster. If a solution takes me 2 months to finish, it'll take a week in testing before hitting production. I've seen people declare a solution made in weeks only to spend actual months in testing, having to fix bug after bug. And they're not even the worst offenders. I know people that will deadass say "looks good enough" and have broken test servers with just actual garbage.
I was considering it like 10 years ago when you couldn't go anywhere on the internet without someone telling you "Programmers make a bajillion dollars pr day, even the bad ones! You should become a programmer!!!", but I figured it was just companies wanting more applicants to force down the pay.
I think you made the right choice. The IT sector has been undergoing progressive enshittification for decades and it's really gotten bad with AI.
Regret is a funny thing since none of us are fortune tellers. When you realize that every decision you make works the same way, you get a lot more chill about life.