Are Programmers Headed Toward Another Bursting Bubble?

A friend of mine recently posed a question that I’ve heard many times in varying forms and forums:

“Do you think IT and some lower-level programming jobs are going to go the way of the dodo? Seems a bit like a massive job bubble that’s gonna burst. It’s my opinion that one of the only things keeping tech and lower-level computer science-related jobs “prestigious” and well-paid is ridiculous industry jargon and public ignorance about computers, which are both going to go away in the next 10 years. […]”

This question is simultaneously on point about the future of technology jobs and exemplary of some pervasive misunderstandings regarding the field of software engineering. While it’s true that there is a great deal of “ridiculous industry jargon” there are equally many genuinely difficult problems waiting to be solved by those with the right skill-set. Some software jobs are definitely going away but programmers with the right experience and knowledge will continue to be prestigious and well remunerated for many years to come; as an example look at the recent explosion of AI researcher salaries and the corresponding dearth of available talent.

Staying relevant in the ever changing technology landscape can be a challenge. By looking at the technologies that are replacing programmers in the status quo we should be able to predict what jobs might disappear from the market. Additionally, to predict how salaries and demand for specific skills might change we should consider…