Figuring Out My Future (With a Side of Chaos)
Thinking out loud about two paths: AI-powered dev vs. systems architect.
Hi, I’m Dennis. A (front-end) developer, dabbling in full stack, and currently trying to figure out what the heck I’m doing with my future.
Why the identity crisis? To jump right into it: AI.
AI is amazing. Like… really amazing. I use itall the time. For work, for personal stuff, even for deciding what’s for dinner. It feels like magic. But it also scares the hell out of me. Not in a Skynet doom way, more in a“oh shit, am I about to become obsolete?” way.
And that thought has been a little paralyzing lately. So, I need to figure some things out.
At this point, I see my future going in one of two directions:
1. Stay in development and lean hard into the AI side of things (more on that in a sec).
2. Step out of development altogether and go in a completely different direction.
Thisis my way of thinking out loud. A journal of sorts. Something I normally wouldn’t do publicly (I’m a strong introvert) because it feels uncomfortable. But I’m trying it anyway —.
So… let’s dive into some chaos.
Staying in the Development Game
I’ve already been noticing a strong decline in opportunities. Being a developer in 2025 feels different. Now that AI can develop too, a lot of companies seem hesitant to invest in developers the way they used to. The budgets don’t open like they once did.
And honestly? Fair. At first glance, it does look like you can just AI your product together and call it a day.
That’s the scary part: it feels like AI could replace — or at least is really trying hard to replace — developers.
And I’m not about to dive into hardcore AI development — machine learning, neural nets, all that math-heavy stuff. So finding work in that field? Probably not gonna happen.
But maybe that’s okay. Maybe I’ve just been looking at the wrong crowd.
Not so long ago, if you had an idea for a product, you needed cash just to see if it was viable. A designer, a front-end dev, a back-end dev, maybe even a DevOps person. These people aren’t cheap and they weren’t exactly fast either.
By the time you had a prototype, you could easily be tens of thousands of euros deep. Maybe even hundreds, depending on the idea.
AI changes that. Suddenly, a whole group of people whonever could have afforded to test their ideas before now actually can. Let’s call them prototype‑happy tinkerers.
Instead of needing a full team, they might only need one or two people. That’s where I see myself fitting in. I’ve got a decent sense of design and UX (if I say so myself), and with AI I can build things in a fraction of the time it used to take. With a budget of €10–30k, a dream-chaser could now get some serious answers about whether their idea has legs..
Do these people exist? I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll have to go. Maybe they’re waiting for me. Or maybe I’m just imagining a market that isn’t there.
What I do know is that it’s interesting. And sure, most of these folks will probably want AI built into their products too. I’ve only scratched the surface there, but hey — I should be smart enough to figure that out. 😅
Stepping Out of the Development Game
Ok, here we go. The scary part (for me, at least).
If I had to sum it up in one word? Planning. Or maybe \systems. Or organization. (Basically the kind of thing that sounds— but secretly makes me light up inside.)
This love didn’t arrive overnight. Over the years I’ve realized I get a strange satisfaction from mapping things out: blocking time, making lists, prioritizing the hell out of tasks, creating inboxes for ideas, keeping what matters in sight and hiding the rest until it’s needed.
For fun — yes, fun — I’ve tested just about everyon the market.
And I’ve read a ton of philosophies: GTD, PARA, Eisenhower, Zettelkasten, you name it. But none of them quite fit the waymy brain works. So I started mixing and matching, creating little Franken-systems to suit my life. Better than before? Definitely. Perfect? Not even close.
The closest I’ve come to a perfect fit is Notion. I love Notion. A lot. It still has quirks and limits, but it’s flexible enough that I always find my way back to it..
So where does that leave me? With an idea: what if I take this obsession with planning and systems and turn it into something bigger?
Not just “here’s another task template” — there are plenty of those. I’m talkingsystems that work across your whole life or business: surfacing what matters when you need it, hiding the noise when you don’t.
Who exactly would that be for? I’m still figuring it out. Maybe it’s freelancers who’d rather focus on their craft than chase invoices. Maybe it’s small businesses that can’t justify enterprise software but still need structure. Maybe it’s people who are curious about Notion but bounce off because it feels overwhelming. Whoever they are, I think they exist.
Call it Systems Architect if you like..
And here’s the tricky part: I see this working in bothpersonal and professional contexts. And I definitely see a connection between the two — when personal systems are in place, professional focus often follows. But does that mean I should focus on one? The other? Or try to combine them? Honestly, I don’t know yet. That’s exactly the part I’m trying to figure out.
Do I have it all figured out yet? Nope. Am I curious enough to keep chasing it? Absolutely.
So where does that leave me? Somewhere between “keep coding with AI as my sidekick” and “go all-in on becoming a Systems Architect.” I don’t know which way I’ll land yet — maybe both, maybe neither, maybe something I haven’t even thought of yet.
For now, I’ll start poking at this whole Systems Architectthing and see what happens. I’ll probably turn it into a series here — partly to keep myself accountable, partly because I think it’ll be fun to look back later and see how wrong (or right) I was.