IT and tech

Software developer

Changing

AI agents increasingly write routine code, while the developer sets the task, checks the result and is responsible for the system as a whole. The profession stays, but the center of the work moves from typing code to design and review.

  • 6 lessons
  • 4 tools
  • 3 resources
  • Checked: October 2026

Where this job sits on the map

In the same group: 78 of 100 professions.

What changes

  1. An agent writes routine code, tests and documentation; the developer describes the task and accepts the result.

  2. More time goes to reading and reviewing code, including generated code.

  3. What's valued is breaking a task into steps and choosing an architecture, not typing speed.

AI drafts, the person decides

How the work splits here: AI prepares a draft, the person checks it and makes the call.

AI makes the draft

What AI does

  • Writes routine code from a description: forms, handlers, database queries
  • Writes tests and finds why they fail
  • Explains unfamiliar code and suggests refactoring
  • Finds the cause of a bug from the logs and the error message
  • Writes documentation and pull request descriptions
You check itRead it, check the facts, fix it. Without this check the draft goes nowhere.
You decide and stay responsible

What stays with the person

  • Architecture and decisions the system will live with for years
  • Responsibility for security and users' data
  • Review: what the agent suggests and what makes it into the product
  • The conversation with the client and translating their problem into technical terms

What to learn first

6 lessons from the course, in order. Start with the first one.

  1. How to write a good promptUserHow to give AI a task: the five parts of a good prompt, Plan Mode, and how to refine an answer instead of starting over.Start here
  2. Installation and setup: VS Code, Claude Code, first launchBuilderInstall VS Code and Claude Code, sign in, pick a plan and have your first conversation with the agent.
  3. CLAUDE.md: your project's system promptBuilderCLAUDE.md: a standing instruction file for your agent, three layers (WHAT, WHY, HOW) and how it saves tokens.
  4. Debugging and Self-RepairConfident userWhat to do when a workflow breaks: describe the symptom to the agent and let it find and fix the cause.
  5. Subagents: specialized workersBuilderSubagents: a separate context, tools and model for each task, with files in .claude/agents.
  6. Security in Claude Code: .env, secrets and data protectionConfident userHow to prevent secret leaks: .env, .gitignore, Claude Code deny rules, a pre-commit hook and secrets in production.

Which tools to use

  • Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, your IDE and a desktop app, included in paid Claude plans.

    Paid
  • OpenAI's coding agent: parallel background tasks, a desktop app and the cloud.

    Freemium
  • A VS Code-based code editor with AI agents, a free Hobby plan and Pro at $20 a month.

    Freemium
  • GitHub's AI assistant in your IDE and on GitHub, with chat, an agent, code review and a free plan.

    Freemium

Ready-to-use materials

How to earn with AI

We don't promise income: results depend on your niche, your market and your work.

  • Job

    Hand routine tasks and tests to the agent and spend the freed-up time on architecture and review, which is what senior developers are valued for.

  • Service

    Getting apps that people built themselves in no-code tools into working shape: security, payments, deployment, support.

  • Product

    A small tool for a niche you know from the inside: a browser extension, a Slack bot or a subscription service.

Similar professions

Checked: October 2026