E-Paper
Techie admits struggling to code without AI tools: 'I don’t think I’ve learned much'
The techie claimed that daily tasks at work often rely on AI tools such as Cursor and Claude.
A techie working as a backend engineer for the past 11 months has shared an emotional post online, admitting to feeling like a “complete fraud” after realising how much work depends on AI tools.
In a Reddit post, the techie claimed that daily tasks at work often rely on AI tools such as Cursor and Claude. Most coding work, including building APIs and finishing assigned tasks are completed using suggestions generated by these tools.
However, the situation recently raised serious concerns about personal skills and learning. After almost a year in the job, the techie began to feel that not much had actually been learned during this period because AI tools handled a large part of the work.
“Working as a backend engineer for the last 11 months. Honestly, I feel like a complete fraud,” the caption of the post reads.
Techie faces growing self-doubt:
According to the post, the fear became stronger last week when Cursor stopped working due to a technical issue.
With an important task still pending, the techie struggled to complete the work without help from AI.
“ I literally couldn’t complete it without AI. My seniors and colleagues noticed this too. They told me straight up that I can’t survive without Cursor and even joked about it,” the post adds.
The techie also revealed that the journey into the tech industry had already been challenging. Graduation happened in 2023, but a job was secured only in 2025 after many unsuccessful interview attempts. The long process had already shaken confidence.
Now, the experience at work has raised deeper questions about whether coding is the right career path. Feelings of being less intelligent compared to others in the workplace have started to grow.
At the same time, walking away from the job does not feel like an option. Coming from a lower-middle-class family, the techie said parents have high hopes for a better future. Supporting them and improving their lives remains a major responsibility.
Currently earning ₹2.5 lakh per year, the techie described feeling anxious most of the time and questioning the ability to succeed in the coding profession.
Check out the post here:
Reddit reacts:
Reddit users reacted to the post with a mix of advice and support. Many said that relying on AI tools has become common in the tech industry today, and that it does not mean someone cannot learn to code. Some suggested using AI as support while also practising coding independently to build stronger skills.
One of the users commented, “Man, you just start attending interviews after completing one year there. You will feel even more shittier than how you feel now.”
A second user commented, “The goal is not learning but money, try to squeeze as much money out of the company while giving bare minimum effort.”
“I feel that taking time to do a task without AI should be fine,” another user commented.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
