Things I’ve Learned

I started using some AI agent coding tools. They are incredibly useful for getting ideas out of your head faster than you can type on your own. Super useful, I can see why so many people love them. I have had many ideas recently for things I want to try, and with these AI tools I can generate usable demos to get a feel for what is workable in almost no time at all. This week I built a demo for something that I never thought I could do on my own. Then when I saw the code the agent spat out I realized it really isn’t as complicated as I thought, it was just all new to me.

But I still maintain that it takes experience writing your own software to know how to guide the system, so there will always be a place for trained engineers to improve and build out the systems that are started by these AI tools.

But I don’t see this as a reason for software engineers to panic, it is a new opportunity. There will be a whole new group of people building software tools now thanks to these AI agents, giving them the ability to start building something they’ve always dreamed of but couldn’t build on their own. And these people will need someone to help them finish the job. The AI agents will help them build something good enough to use for demos and to get the first paying customers, and then they’ll be able to pitch to investors and get money to start up and hire software engineers to help them build and sustain growth.

Will people lose their current jobs built using the old methods? Yes. And my heart goes out to all of them. I’ve lost a job in this field and didn’t find work for 5 months. It completely overturned my life. I know it isn’t easy to get through. But we did get through it as a family, and now I’ve come out on the other side with a completely different perspective on how to build things and make money. There is a new world order coming, whether you want to embrace it or not. I’ve learned that embracing the opportunities that come with the new order is the best way to grow and succeed.

Things I’ve Done

I posted the first video on a channel I created about a year ago (sound familiar?) called “Thoughts of a Father”. The video is a call to action for fathers to be present in their family. It isn’t the topic I had planned to talk about first for this channel, but it is what felt right yesterday morning when I was reading my scriptures. I have more ideas I want to talk about, so if you have any interesting in learning what it is like to be a christian father check out the channel and subscribe for more to come. (I stole the name of the channel from my wife’s “Thoughts of a mother”. If you speak Portuguese go check that out too. I may be just a little bit biased but I think her videos are incredible!)

I also restarted yet another 2 year old thing… At the time I was afraid to announce to the world on video that it was me, but The Tech Yeti is back! I recorded another video with the kids today and I hope to have it edited and published early next week. (Unlike my personal videos and the video I made for the Thoughts of a Father I actually do some light editing to make a cool intro and outro for my Tech Yeti videos.)

Books I’m Reading

Atomic Habits

$100M Offers

Favorite Videos

This video about building and selling an electronics product at home–including populating PCBs–was a lot of fun and really inspiring. (And something I totally want to do too…)

This video from David Malawey really touched me. He is also an engineer that wants to serve the world and the communities around him using technology to serve and improve lives. And he told an incredible story about meeting Brazilians at college doing his Master’s degree, and then spending a few months visiting them in Brazil. It is the best explanation I’ve ever seen on video about how life is different here in the USA from anywhere else in the world, and how people in places like Brazil are more willing to go out and do the work, and take risks, to get what they really want. Because they have to. Life in the USA is too comfortable and people generally are less willing to go out and try something new because that is harder than just living in the relative comfort they get for almost no work.

We are truly blessed here in the USA, but I also feel very blessed to have spent years in Brazil learning from their culture and way of life. And of course I’m incredibly blessed to have married the best Brazilian woman the country had to offer.

Things I’ve Built

Nothing really built today that I can share yet. Check out the videos above to see more about what is to come!

People I’ve Met

I talked to a few new people, but I will save them for next week after we get a chance to talk some more. (Yes, that is foreshadowing for something cool to come!)