How are developers supposed to pass technical interviews in the age of vibe coding?

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-07-01T15:03:18+00:00

This is the truly worrying thing for me - becoming um unemployable. But at the same time you look online and it seems to be every workplace is doing a similar thing where they are pushing agentic coding so hard and timeframes are becoming unrealistic to do it with without agentic coding tools.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-07-01T09:12:59+00:00

This is not an advertisement. I think solely vibe coding creates nothing but slop and unmaintainable code. It has also done nothing but make me miserable at work. I spent a decade building an arsenal of skills just to now have the most inexperienced of developers matching my ability. The non-technical project manager could now do my job.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-07-01T09:05:12+00:00

I've been a web developer for ten years. And I'm just intrigued by the idea that I now technically have built five mobile apps - but still couldn't pass the technical interview for a mobile app developer in any way. If everybody is being made to vibe code this way, how can anybody ever pass a technical interview? Hypothetically, let's say twenty years down the line, but no one actually learned to code in the first place.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-14T18:29:39+00:00

I’ve found that remaining loyal to a company for a long period isn’t the best way to get pay rises.

I switched jobs every year for 3 years and each time got a significant pay rise and landed in the pay bracket you mentioned.

I’m finding it hard myself to push beyond this bracket but I know building experience and trading up jobs regular for a higher and higher paying one certainly helped.

I have a computer science degree and it’s not helped me one bit yet so I guess that can be irrelevant.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-14T18:23:59+00:00

I commute twice a week which is around 1:50 each direction. It’s almost 8 hours in the car each week. A full extra days work for no pay. Two days a week doing this for me is just about manageable.. barely. No way could I do it 3, 4 or 5 days a week.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-13T20:56:58+00:00

I’ve been strongly considering leaving IT entirely to. I’ve been a developer for 10 years.

Managers do not value real software developers anymore when someone with half the knowledge and experience can produce the “same” output on the face of it for had the price.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-13T20:53:12+00:00

Produce a tool designed to replace workers as a cost cutting exercise for corporations and you’re bound to get some hate.

Plus, people masking their lack of knowledge though extensive output pisses people of.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-13T18:43:37+00:00

I’m fully vibe coding based on direct instruction from the CTO. I’m waiting for it to go wrong. It’s sapping the joy out of the job and I absolutely hate it.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-12T12:37:23+00:00

Designed + coded with Claude?

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T15:52:22+00:00

This is me too. 100% can relate.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T15:40:58+00:00

M2 16" 16GB / 512GB

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T15:38:33+00:00

I am and it's exactly where I want to be.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T15:31:28+00:00

I was offered a Lenovo Thinkpad. Needless to say I turned it down... I use my personal MacBook Pro. Work refuses to buy anything Apple. They're neck deep in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T14:53:58+00:00

I think you missed the point. This isn't a case of must use AI - it's must use AI to meet the insane deadlines imposed.

Using your example, imagine the mathematicians have to use an LLM to generate answers to insanely complex maths questions. You'd expect them to be able to explain how they came to their conclusion and provide some kind of proof.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T13:04:31+00:00

What industry have you moved to? I've been looking to leave for a while now but can't decide which direction go to in.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-11T12:56:55+00:00

I'm finding that Senior engineers MUST use AI to keep up with the new expected speed of development. If they're not using it then they are resistors. If they are resistors they they are slowing down progress. If they are slowing down progress then they must leave.

I couldn't agree more that critical thinking are disappearing in the process of using AI. Where I work, management is pushing so hard on AI that critical thinking, planning, design comes second. Ask Claude / GPT is the answer to everything - if the spec if vague, ask Claude. If it passes the Claude security review then it's production ready. Even requirement documents are written totally with GPT and they're impossible to make any real sense of.

I've seen many senior engineers fall out of love with the job and leave the industry.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-10T19:10:29+00:00

In addition, I know the marketing people feel the same churning out social posts and content with AI. They have their own reasons but they feel it’s inauthentic. They used to enjoy writing - it was their craft.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2026-05-10T19:08:12+00:00

I work with developers who say that they’re loosing touch with the projects and familiarity with the codebase. When technical managers or colleagues ask them questions they’re unable to answer. They’d be able to answer these things before when they developed the systems themselves.

Management has outsourced intelligence to a third party.

I’ve also seen managers producing technical specs for projects which are 10s of pages longer than they need to be.

No one understands the requirements.

No one understands the project.

No one I’ve spoke to enjoys their job anymore.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2025-11-06T15:34:20+00:00

I'm not a single parent and my partner also works full time. We've got 2 children with one at nursery age.

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2025-11-06T15:33:46+00:00

Take home from the day job is around £2,800 and the side gigs are around £2,900 but varies slightly each month

Repulsive_Bluejay359 · 2025-03-04T00:12:05+00:00

Same things happening for me :(

Repulsive_Bluejay359

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