AI is automating entry-level engineering work, creating a future shortage of senior engineers. Companies must invest in mentoring junior engineers now or face a workforce crisis in a few years, as the traditional pipeline for developing seniors through hands-on learning disappears.
An engineer from Pune reflects on his 14-year career path, beginning with a two-year gap after leaving his degree to work assembling computers. He describes how this detour—working with his friend building and selling PCs, and witnessing his sister's IT career—ultimately led him to software engineering, shaped by family influence and early mentors.