This first-person essay draws upon an extensive conversation with Andrew Wang, a thirty‑three‑year‑old senior software engineer who resides and works in San Francisco. At present, Wang is employed by Fermat Commerce Inc., an artificial‑intelligence‑driven startup focused on e‑commerce. Prior to this position, he spent several years at Amazon, where he deepened his technical expertise and developed a keen understanding of industry culture. Business Insider has verified his identity and current employment. The following narrative has been carefully edited for clarity and concision, while retaining the substance of Wang’s reflections.
According to Wang, software engineering looked very different when he began his professional journey. At that time, one could complete an intensive coding boot camp lasting only a few months—typically between three and six—and stand a strong chance of securing a full‑time software position shortly thereafter. He himself followed this path in his early adulthood. After graduating from high school, Wang enrolled in such a boot camp, absorbing the foundational principles of web development. From there, he co‑founded a small web‑design firm with a close friend, a venture that allowed him to apply his new skills in real‑world projects while experimenting with entrepreneurial responsibility. Motivated to formalize his training, he later pursued a degree in computer science at Harvard University. While studying there, he joined forces with a fellow student in the business school to establish a small technology startup, combining their technical and managerial knowledge.
Wang describes his younger self as “very green”—ambitious but lacking the full picture of how the technology sector operated. To gain exposure to large‑scale software environments, he sought a position within a major company and ultimately joined Amazon, where he remained for three years. That experience equipped him with both technical rigor and insight into corporate systems. Today, he has returned to the dynamic atmosphere of a Series B startup, drawn again to the energy and creativity that characterize emerging tech firms.
Reflecting on his earliest years in the profession, Wang emphasizes how pivotal mentorship was to his development. During his formative period, he was surrounded by more experienced engineers who took deliberate time to guide him, review his code, and model professional best practices. That investment, he notes, produced not only measurable improvements in his technical proficiency but also nurtured his capacity for empathy and patience—qualities that would later make him an attentive mentor to others. He views this culture of reciprocal learning as a defining characteristic of good engineering teams and expresses concern that the modern industry’s fast‑paced environment threatens to erode it.
Currently, Wang does not directly supervise entry‑level developers, yet he remains connected to their experiences through online communities. He frequently reads forum posts written by recent graduates and aspiring engineers who describe sending out hundreds—sometimes even thousands—of applications without receiving responses. Many of these younger professionals also reach out to him personally for advice, and through those conversations, Wang has sensed deep frustration and discouragement. The job market for junior talent, he concludes, has become undeniably difficult, and their struggle to find stable employment is a serious and widespread issue.
Although artificial intelligence may be partly responsible for these obstacles, Wang believes the situation stems from a convergence of multiple forces. The broader economic environment plays an important role. Not long ago, the software field was often portrayed as a near‑guaranteed path to prosperity: a lucrative career that required only moderate training and promised job security. That optimistic narrative encouraged an influx of new entrants, which has now resulted in a saturated market. Historically, he observes, the technology job market behaves like a pendulum—swinging between abundance and scarcity. Today’s contraction may one day reverse itself; perhaps in the next decade organizations will again find themselves scrambling to fill senior roles that went unseeded when companies stopped hiring junior engineers.
Even so, he acknowledges that AI contributes to today’s instability. Many executives, captivated by trends in automation, view machine‑learning systems as opportunities to enhance efficiency, sometimes at the expense of human roles. In some organizations, this has fostered a narrow perception of junior engineers as short‑term contributors meant to execute isolated tasks before being replaced by automated solutions. Wang mentions that certain companies might prefer a single skilled engineer who oversees multiple AI agents, rather than maintaining a team of early‑career developers. Given current macroeconomic pressures—such as reduced funding and the focus on profitability—firms may be incentivized to trim costs by substituting technical labor with AI tools instead of investing in people.
Still, Wang perceives an active tension in the industry. Another school of thought, one he personally aligns with, regards engineers not as redundant but as irreplaceable. In this view, artificial intelligence functions best as a sophisticated instrument that amplifies human capacity rather than displaces it. It can help teams achieve greater productivity, streamline repetitive work, and unlock creativity that machines alone cannot generate. In practice, different companies manage this balance in distinct ways. Those that already favored outsourcing or automating talent will likely see AI as an extension of that strategy, using it to supplement external labor. Conversely, organizations that prioritize innovation may leverage AI as a collaborative tool to empower their engineers rather than diminish their roles.
During his recent job search, mentorship remained one of Wang’s highest priorities. Throughout interviews, he consistently asked prospective employers whether mentorship was embedded in their culture and how teams were structured in terms of junior‑to‑senior ratios. From his observations, smaller companies, especially startups under financial pressure, are currently building overwhelmingly senior teams. This makes pragmatic sense: onboarding and educating entry‑level employees demand substantial time and resources. Speaking as a former founder himself, Wang sympathizes with that choice. In the fast‑moving world of startup growth, when deadlines are relentless and investors demand rapid results, it is difficult to divert energy toward training newcomers.
Yet, in his opinion, that pragmatic mindset comes with long‑term costs. Entry‑level engineers, though they require initial guidance, should be seen as strategic investments instead of short‑term burdens. Wang recalls his years at Amazon, where he collaborated closely with many junior developers who contributed immense value. Some brought fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and innovative problem‑solving approaches that even seasoned engineers could learn from. Technical brilliance, he insists, is not strictly determined by years of experience. Failing to recruit and nurture new engineers gradually weakens the profession as a whole. Without consistent replenishment, the industry may face a talent shortage in the future, as experienced developers retire with few qualified successors to take their place.
Looking ahead, Wang poses a rhetorical question that underscores the urgency of this issue: when that generational turnover arrives and there is a scarcity of replacements because companies neglected to hire and develop novices a decade or two earlier, what options will the industry have left?
He closes with words of encouragement directed at those who still aspire to enter technology despite current adversity. For anyone genuinely passionate about the field, Wang urges perseverance. The tech economy, much like the larger business cycle, fluctuates between expansion and contraction. Harsh job markets are temporary, yet the skills gained through persistence endure. He expresses deep respect for individuals willing to start in peripheral roles—such as technical support or IT help‑desk positions—as strategic stepping‑stones toward engineering. Their adaptability and resilience, he believes, are precisely the qualities that define successful technologists.
Those who resonate with his experience or wish to share their own professional challenges are invited to contact the reporter at the provided email address— aaltchek@insider.com —or through the encrypted messaging service Signal at the username aalt.19.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/software-engineer-has-concerns-entry-level-pipeline-2025-11
