Every few months, the web dev world collectively decides we’re all doing things wrong again.
Right now it’s:
AI everywhere
Rust everywhere
WebAssembly everywhere
Low-code “replacing developers” everywhere
Recruiters see these words on resumes all day.
So instead of listing them, I tried something radical.
I asked: What did these trends actually teach me as an engineer?
AI Didn’t Turn Me Into a 10x Dev
It Turned Me Into a Better Reviewer
AI can write code faster than I can.
That’s fine.
What it can’t do is explain why the code is shaped the way it is.
Using AI taught me three things fast:
- If I can’t review it, I shouldn’t ship it
- “It works” is not a quality bar
- Bad systems + AI = faster disasters
AI didn’t replace my job.
It made thinking non-optional.
Rust and WebAssembly Taught Me Humility
Rust promised safety.
The compiler delivered emotional damage first.
WebAssembly promised performance.
Tooling reminded me reality exists.
What I learned:
- Performance is useless if users don’t feel it
- Safety is great once you understand the cost
- Shiny tech doesn’t save unclear design
Trends are fun.
Shipping is sobering.
Low-Code Didn’t Kill My Skills
It Killed My Excuses
Low-code removed the boring parts.
Which meant I couldn’t hide behind boilerplate anymore.
What was left?
- Architecture decisions
- Data flow
- Edge cases
- Things breaking at 2 AM
Low-code didn’t reduce my value.
It raised the bar.
What I Actually Optimize For Now
Instead of chasing tools, I optimize for:
- Code someone else can understand
- Systems that survive change
- Decisions that age well
- Fewer “we’ll fix it later” moments
I still learn new tech.
I just don’t confuse novelty with progress.
For Recruiters (HEYYYYYYY)
Anyone can list stacks.
What teams really need are engineers who:
- Learn fast without breaking things
- Ask annoying but important questions
- Think in systems, not snippets
- Can explain their code without sweating
That’s the kind of engineer I’m trying to be.
If that sounds useful, we’ll probably get along.