Software Engineers Were Blue-Collar Workers All Along
Were Software Engineers blue-collar workers all along?
Peter Bryant argues that software engineers have been misclassified as white-collar workers. Like electricians or carpenters, developers make and fix things—just in bits instead of atoms. This mistaken identity may explain the current AI anxiety: skilled tradespeople have always adapted to new tools, from looms to chainsaws. The honeymoon of rock-star treatment is over, but learning to use AI could keep developers relevant.
We are the seamstresses lamenting the introduction of the loom. We are the lumberjacks worrying about chainsaws. We’re the accountants panicking about being replaced by Excel. But if we learn how to use the looms, the spreadsheets, and the chainsaws, we might just be okay.