Ukrainian developers are increasingly thinking not only about how to find their next job, but also whether it is worth staying in classic development at all. On Reddit, one such post turned into a large-scale brainstorm in a few days: users began suggesting professions where programming experience could be an advantage.
Ukrainian developers are increasingly thinking not only about how to find their next job, but also whether it is worth staying in classic development at all. On Reddit, one such post turned into a large-scale brainstorm in a few days: users began suggesting professions where programming experience could be an advantage.
The author of the post with the nickname u/hello-halo noted that the situation on the market has changed dramatically. «If earlier the IT professionals themselves wrote to us and persuaded us to go for a job interview, now we are the ones who write to the IT professionals and persuade them to look at our resumes. And our 10 years of experience, knowledge of various technologies, including AI, MCP and all other fashionable tools, do not save the situation,» the IT professional notes.
She adds that she doesn’t want to leave IT completely, but is looking for related professions where programming experience would be valuable. In the comments, users suggested many options.
This direction was mentioned most often. «If you’re desperate, then from an IT perspective I would look towards miltech. This could be a fairly logical career extension. I heard that there is a huge demand for embedded developers, but there are no people,» writes u/dimmustranger .
He was supported by u/the_3d6. «That’s true. And AI can’t do that normally. But it takes time to learn normally,» he notes.
According to u/Xahgmah, this trend will only intensify. «Military is the new IT. And this trend will only grow. Both in Ukraine and around the world. The main advantage of IT professionals is the constant process of learning and mastering new technologies,» believes u/Xahgmah .
Several users have named robotics and the Internet of Things as promising. u/Ok-Cupcake-341 writes that if he doesn’t find a job in classic development, he will consider robotics.
«IoT Engineer,» wrote u/Lucky-Election9845 .
Some commentators believe that the strength of programmers is not only code, but also systems thinking. «A programmer should have a tendency to structure, optimize. Go where it is needed: optimizing the sales process in companies, e-commerce, workflow design, integration with AI,» advises u/Accomplished_Cut1639 .
After many years in backend development, user u/Igonur admits that he has been thinking about returning to infrastructure. «I love technology, but agent-based development is not fun. I plan to become a sysadmin, learn Windows Server, and fill in the gaps with networking,» he wrote.
Some of the participants in the discussion believe that it is time to work without intermediaries. «Try to remove one link between you and your customers. And the same AI will become your salvation, not a threat,» advises u/PleasantLow670 .
However, the author of the post notes that it is not that easy. «I am currently working on my project. It is a lot of work, and an even bigger job is to promote all this,» replies u/hello-halo .
User u/delirium-dev is convinced that it is too early to panic. According to him, the European market continues to actively hire, and low-level development, architecture, and cybersecurity remain particularly in demand.
«If you’re that scared, go low-level, cybersec. The number of vacancies in cybersecurity has only increased,» says u/delirium-dev .
However, many people do not see the point in changing their profession. «I plan to stay in development. I have a specialized education, 10+ years of experience. I believe that IT is not going anywhere,» says u/dimmustranger . In his opinion, the difficult period will pass, and the demand for strong engineers will remain.
At the end of the discussion , u/hello-halo explained that her post was not about panic, but about finding new opportunities. «Until 2022, I found a job very quickly, receiving several offers at once. Now the market is oversaturated with developers. Many lie on their resumes… Because of this, the CVs of really experienced devs can look the same as those of fantasy devs,» she wrote.
According to her, that’s why she decided to start the discussion. «So I had the idea to brainstorm on the topic — what next. And in general, to look for something new, and not to fight against closed doors. A more interesting and exciting adventure,» — summed up u/hello-halo .
