I am asking this question as a machine learning engineer with over four years of experience. I've been studying TOP for a few weeks now, and it's an excellent tool for thoroughly learning the fundamentals of web development principles, along with essential hard skills like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and more. In my view, it's the best course available for anyone pursuing a full-stack web development path.

...BUT

Two major concerns that have been lingering in the back of my mind have finally surfaced, affecting my motivation:

• First, the "too rapid" advancements in AI technology- both in academia and industry- make me wonder if, by the time I become proficient in full-stack web development, perhaps a year from now, AI will make me obsolete already. I don’t want to invest significant time in a field that may be dead in a few years. I see this as a strong possibility because, as someone directly involved in building these AI solutions, I know firsthand that they are designed to handle increasingly complex tasks.

• Second, according to the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, there are already thousands of experienced full-stack developers in the market, and their median salary is not particularly high. I’m not looking to transition into another conventional white-collar position in web development; instead, I hope to use these skills to build a minimum viable product and pursue my solopreneur aspirations.

With these thoughts in mind, I have two questions:

1. Given the current landscape -where tons of AI-generated code are already lingering on the internet- do you think investing in web development skills will be worthwhile in the coming years? (edit: Folks, I am already a developer. My question is not "Should I start coding despite AI?". I am looking for answers to something like this: "Is studying X, Y and Z to code a full-fledged website by using frameworks A, B and C logical, or will AI take care of A, B, C or even X, Y, Z in a couple of years?")

2. Would it be wiser to focus on technologies like Webflow for building websites (instead of X, Y and Z)? Webflow seems intent on adapting to the "AI era" and could offer tools that simplify the development process. The learning curve is also less steep compared to TOP.

Thank you for your insights!

So, long story short, I have been learning to code through the Odin Project since 2022. The course was an absolute godsend. All the contents provided were very detailed and helpful for you to learn how to write code.

BUT, I do think there’s a belief among many of TOP leaners out there that studying the Odin Project is all it takes to become an entry level full stack developer. Now, I don’t think this is false, you can definitely get a job as a full stack, if you are still in 2020-2022. The situation now is different. Computer Science is becoming some sort of a trend, where literally everyone is trying to jump on the dev train, thinking this is the career to make banks. Of course, I understand the arguments that not everyone learning CS, can be a good developer. Heck, even some CS students can’t even write code. However, with more and more people joining the field, there will be even more people who can’t write code with a cs degree, along with people who CAN write software code AND have a degree. I only managed to land an internship last year. But that was because I took another bachelor course in uni, fast tracked to 3 trimesters per year.

TLDR, I think TOP(or any other self-taught programming platform) is still a great material to learn web programming (html, css javascript and react). But, solely relying on TOP will not give you a high chance of landing a software development/web development anymore. If going to university is not viable, I would recommend looking into learning some more stuffs after completing TOP, such as DSA, more strongly-typed languages such as C#, Java, etc.

What do you guys think? Would love to have some more opinions regarding this.