📺 Are Pinoy Devs Going Extinct?
Will a $20 AI subscription cause the extinction of Pinoy developers? I have more than 10 years of experience as a developer pero honestly, hindi ko alam. Bakit magha-hire ang mga companies ng Pinoy developers kung mas mura at mas mabilis mag-code ang AI? Nakakatakot aminin pero I don't have THE answer.
THE DREAM
Hi, ako nga pala si Marvin and much of my decade-long career, I've worked remotely for international companies. Nung nag-start ako, wala naman sa isip ko yung sweldo. Mahilig lang talaga akong mag-solve ng mga problema using code tapos may mga offers na malaki kaya, ayun, ito yung naging career ko. Development is a great career and that has been true for me for more than a decade pero, right now, I’m honestly rethinking my future. With AI doing much of the work I used to do, I find myself anxious about the future since I can definitely see, and feel, how much the industry is changing. Pero recent lang naman yung ganitong existential crisis ko kasi, just a few years ago, software development was one of the best possible choice.
THE START
BPOs exploded here in the Philippines because of 3 things: a lot of competent college graduates, low costs, and English fluency. Even before the pandemic, some companies were already experimenting with hiring Filipino developers through BPOs. The same advantages we have as call center agents made remote Pinoy developers a good choice for international companies. Karamihan ng documentation, tutorials, and explanations are in English kaya madali natin maintindihan. We can easily pick up new languages or stacks because of that. With the pandemic boom in the tech sector and the increased demand for software developers, we were positioned as a great source of candidates. And life was great for half a decade.
Now, fast forward to today. The industry is very different from what it was about 5 years ago. Even some of the biggest tech companies in the USA, kaliwa’t kanan magtanggal ng developers. Companies are closing, a ton of new graduates, and, of course, the hottest topic right now: AI.
THE END (?)
The economic cycle of booms and busts, companies closing down, new graduates fighting over entry-level jobs, lahat yan normal naman and I’ve seen it happen multiple times already. But the biggest unknown, yun rin ang pinakanakakatakot: AI.
Personally, I don’t think AI will be able to do everything I do as a software engineer, but, apparently, hindi lahat ganun ang iniisip. CEOs, business owners, and even non-technical people who tried vibe coding are jumping on the AI bandwagon and asking “Do we even need developers at this point?”
Now, let’s go back to the reasons why international companies hire Filipino developers in the first place: competent, conversational English, and relatively low cost. The AI tools we have right now also have those advantages and, depending on who you ask, are good enough or even better. Kahit mga local companies for sure are doing the same comparison: $20 AI subscription vs a Pinoy developer.
If it really is true na kaya na gawin ng AI lahat ng ginagawa ko or if it becomes true in the near future, anong pwedeng i-offer natin as Filipino developers na hindi kayang gawin ng current and future AI tools? That question haunts me and makes me ask myself: am I going extinct? Anong gagawin ko?
THE FUTURE
I'm a developer, hindi ako manghuhula. Hindi ko alam yung mangyayari in the next 5 years, next year, or even next month. I have 10+ years of experience pero I'm still having doubts about my own future. Paano pa kaya yung iba? Kumusta kaya yung mga namimili pa lang ng course, current college students, recent graduates, or mga katulad kong developers na?
As for me, I'm trying out a lot of things. Isa sa sinusubukan ko ngayon is itong YouTube, specifically videos about tech and its effects on Filipinos. Gumagawa rin ako ng sariling kong apps and sites while still looking for a full-time position. Hindi ko alam kung may magiging successful sa mga yan pero that's the thing: right now, no path is sure or safe.
Whether you're still choosing your course, already in college, kaka-graduate pa lang, or same as me na experienced na, isang malaking good luck sa atin.
We need it.