GoKawiilCriteo junior engineer weighs how AI agents reshape on-the-job learning
A junior software engineer at Criteo describes being encouraged to use AI coding agents for productivity while also being told to keep deep technical understanding. The piece recounts informal research into how AI has changed day-to-day engineering work, including a shift toward code review and cost-aware practices like token management, and observations of senior engineers to identify what skills still define seniority.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The account suggests junior engineers may face a structural risk of never developing the deep troubleshooting and architectural judgment that seniority traditionally required, since AI can now perform or accelerate tasks juniors once learned from directly. This could eventually create a shortage of engineers capable of mentoring others or catching subtle errors AI agents introduce, according to the author's own observations at Criteo. The framing implies companies may need deliberate strategies to preserve skill development even as they push AI adoption for efficiency.
- A Criteo junior engineer reports pressure to use AI agents while still mastering fundamentals independently.
- Workplace discourse suggests code review and cost/token management are becoming more valued than raw coding skill.
- The author worries about 'forever juniors' who never develop senior-level expertise if AI handles too much learning-by-doing.
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Published there as: “Forever Junior: The Skills AI Can't Develop for You”
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