Saz Bergmann
Coding in the Age of AI: From Code Monkey to AI Architect
Early 2024, I watched Copilot generate a complex async function in under 10 seconds. Would've taken me an hour. Junior devs on my team were treating it like a senior engineer. That shook me.
I've been a full-stack dev in Berlin since 2021. Standard work—features, bugs, legacy code, Stack Overflow when stuck. Run through Tiergarten most mornings at 6 to clear my head before code review. Thought I had a solid career path. Then AI tools showed up and I had no idea where I fit anymore.
Found JobRipper through a tech forum in March. MODERATE risk for CRUD and boilerplate work, LOW risk for architecture and leadership. Okay. So learn to architect instead of just writing code. Sounded good in theory. Started an MLOps course, tried to learn Kubernetes properly, took some prompt engineering thing online.
Failed the Kubernetes cert exam first try. Didn't even finish the labs in time. Expensive too—120 euros down the drain. Took it again six weeks later and passed, but barely. The MLOps stuff was harder than I expected. I could code fine, but the system design thinking felt foreign. Why does this need three services? Why not just one? My solutions kept being either over-engineered or too simple.
Built an AI-assisted testing tool for our team around month 7. Used GPT-4 to generate unit tests from code comments. Took it to the team lead. He said it was interesting but created tests that were too brittle, broke with every refactor. Back to the drawing board. Spent another month tuning it. Second version worked better but still needed manual oversight.
No promotion. No fancy title. I'm still a regular full-stack developer, just one who knows how to work with AI tools now. My code output is higher, but so is everyone else's on the team because we're all using Copilot. The competitive advantage I thought I'd get never materialized.
Haven't given up running. Still do Tiergarten at 6 AM when I can, though some weeks I'm too tired. The learning curve took more out of me than I expected. I help teammates when they're confused about the AI tools, share what I learned. That's something.
JobRipper gave me direction when I needed it. Didn't transform my career overnight, didn't make me an architect or team lead, but I'm not obsolete either. Still employed, still relevant, still learning. In this market, that's enough.