New Mothers Return to Software Development Jobs Transformed by AI Coding Tools
By
Joel Khalili
If you only eat one bagel today, this is the bagel.
Summary
This article explores how new mothers returning to software development jobs after maternity leave are confronting a workplace dramatically transformed by AI coding tools. It follows Danielle, a Portland-based developer who left her job in mid-2024 when AI coding was rare, and returned a year later to find it was now the standard expectation. The piece examines the anxiety and uncertainty facing developers—especially those who took career breaks—as AI reshapes the skills needed for programming roles, threatening the job security that once drew people to the field.
Key quotes
· 2 pulledThe skills that I had learned—rote development skills—we are now ex
Once upon a time, she had been drawn to coding for the job security it offered, but AI was threatening to upend that.
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