Just confirming - zero stars means you think AI will completely replace this job. Are you sure?
Technology
Junior Developer: Is the future really that bad?
By LastJobStandingNovember 4, 2025
Resistance Rating: 0.5/5
It's been doom and gloom for a few years now, but is the junior developer really finished? We'll take a closer look.
There's No Future In Optimism
The tsunami of negative projections about the future of developers, especially junior ones, was recently further enhanced when meeting a couple of senior developers. They were discussing among themselves when was the last time they actually had written a whole new line of code. They both agreed that it was months ago. What they had done was review and modify code generated by an AI tool (mostly Claude).
There is news about improved agentic AI coding models almost daily, which brings us closer and closer to "anyone can code" (1). Based on this, let's use our model, THE PC Model™, in order to find out what the future of junior developers will look like in 2035.
THE PC Model™ Resistance Rating
Absolutely no turf protection. AI is cheaper than real humans and everyone can call themselves a developer. You can become an excellent developer just by watching YouTube, being guided by an LLM, and coding by yourself.
Typically minimal client interaction and working mostly through digital channels. The entire job can be automated without losing valuable client connections. However, companies will need seniors in the future who can understand and create bonds with clients, so there will most likely be a pipeline for those with solid technical and human skills.
As a junior developer you rarely make ethical decisions, you just flag potential issues. It's more about implementing features according to specifications written higher up in the chain. So no protection against AI replacement.
This is one of the most remote-friendly professions and junior developers can work entirely from wherever.
Adding login buttons, implementing API endpoints and fixing bugs doesn't need creative innovation. There is creative innovation in this field but not often at the junior level.
Total Resistance Rating
0.5 / 5
How low can an occupation score using our model? The junior developer position comes close to giving you the answer. You can blame AI, or the model we use for assessing jobs and their resistance to AI, but the future for this profession looks grim.
A Stanford study gives real-life support to our low score. It found that there were substantial declines in employment for early-career workers (ages 22-25) in occupations most exposed to AI, such as software developers, whereas employment trends for more experienced workers have
remained stable or continued to grow(2). It is highly unlikely that this decline in employment among juniors will slow down in the next 10 years.
However, even in 2035, you might find a tiny crack of light in this massive wall. In order to become a senior, you have to have been a junior at some point, and companies will still need seniors. So if you are one of the most promising juniors, with solid problem-solving skills, ability to understand, review, and improve AI-generated code, and have the human skills needed to become a future project leader, there might be a path for you.
