First time I saw AI generating code, I panicked. Not gonna lie. Felt like those nights in 2014 when I was struggling to learn basic programming all over again. You know that feeling when your stomach drops and you think "Well, this is it. Game over."

But then I actually tried using it. You know what happened?

It helped me learn faster
Showed me different approaches to problems
Became like a pair programmer who never gets tired
Pointed out patterns I hadn't noticed before

The Reality Check

Let me tell you a funny story. Last month, I was stuck on this complex algorithm. Been staring at it for hours. Asked AI to explain the logic, and boom - it broke it down in a way that finally clicked. Reminded me of my early days at Pondok Programmer when senior devs would explain things.

The funny thing is, every "threat" in tech actually made us stronger:

"WordPress will kill web dev" - It created more jobs
"Low code will replace coding" - Made us more valuable
"AI is the end of programming" - LOL, sure
"No-code tools are the future" - Yeah, still waiting on that one

Remember when everyone said mobile apps would make web developers obsolete? Now we need both. Same story, different year.

The Growth Strategy

Here's what I learned about staying relevant:

Use AI as your learning buddy
- Let it explain complex concepts
- Use it to explore different coding approaches
- Learn from its suggestions, don't just copy-paste
Focus on what AI can't do
- Understanding business context
- Making architectural decisions
- Handling client relationships
- Debugging complex issues
Build your problem-solving muscles
- AI can give you answers
- But YOU need to know which questions to ask
- And more importantly, which solutions actually make sense

The Real Talk

You know what's wild? The same skills that helped me jump from a school admin job to programming are the same ones helping me navigate the AI wave:

Curiosity to learn new things
Persistence when things get tough
Willingness to look stupid while learning
Understanding that every "threat" is actually an opportunity

So next time you see news about AI replacing developers, remember this: Tools change, but problem-solving never goes out of style. I've seen it in my own journey - from barely being able to afford cigarettes to working with cutting-edge AI. The key isn't to be better than AI, it's to be better at using AI.

Keep learning, keep growing, and most importantly - don't let fear stop you from exploring new technologies. Trust me, the view from the other side is worth it.

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