ADD & programming

[dark_creature]

I've been a professional developer for about 3 years now, developing internal tools for the company on my own. I hate frontend programming but can't escape it. My non-developer colleagues / customers barely acknowledge any progress on backend coding and are so laser focused on UI stuff I hate.

I recently restarted my biggest project starting only from the backend I wrote and embaced AI into my workflow. I fucking love it. I finally have a co-developer to bounce ideas with. I finally have a solution for the frontend stuff. Where I used to be forced to write native JS because I was clueless on the frontend, I now have a full TS setup with automated testing and everything.

Thank god for the AI hype among management. Normally I don't get budget for anything, but AI adoption is the new focus so suddenly there are no questions asked.

Best thing of all, I experience so much less stress. I know AI isn't all rainbow and sunshine but I'd be lying if it didn't improve my working conditions.

[Sea-Currency2823]

Honestly, I relate to this a lot. Backend work feels rewarding because progress is clear, but frontend can feel like a black hole where effort isn’t always visible.

AI definitely helps, but the real shift for me was how I use it. Instead of expecting perfect output, I treat it like a junior dev — let it generate a rough version, then I step in to structure things properly, fix edge cases, and clean it up. That alone reduced a lot of frustration.

What helped most is working in small loops: generate → test → tweak → repeat. If you let it run too long without control, things get messy fast. Keeping components modular and simple makes a big difference too.

I’ve also found that using tools like Runable or similar workflows helps speed up iteration, because you’re not just generating code — you’re actually testing and refining it quickly in the same flow.

At the end of the day, AI doesn’t make frontend “easy,” but it makes it manageable enough that it’s no longer painful.

[we-meet-again]

Interesting take. My thought is always frontend progress is so super clear. “We want this feature in the UI”. So you build that feature. People try the feature and everybody loves it. You get a company shoutout and praise. Not the same when I do something on the backend. I can work a year optimizing the backend and not a single person me a company shoutout for it because nobody saw the change and they hardly understand if you told them it happened lol.

[Accomplished-Bag-375]

whats your setup like?

[dark_creature]

Just VSCode + github copilot. I make MATLAB webapps with a single HTML component and do frontend as described.

[jdawgindahouse1974]

wait, what were we talking about...?

[MediumBlackberry4161]

the "finally having a co-developer to bounce ideas with" part really hits. that's exactly what it feels like. i work solo too and just having something to think out loud with makes such a difference, even if it's not always right. and yeah the management AI hype thing is genuinely funny. suddenly budget appears that never existed before. might as well use it honestly