During my Civil Engineering degree, people wondered whether software would make the engineer dispensable.
At the time, programs were already running structural calculations, simulations and sizing at great speed. The first impression was that the engineer’s role would be reduced to operating tools.
Over time, reality made it clear that there is no efficient system without an operator who deeply understands the concepts of engineering.
Software can size a foundation in seconds, but only an engineer who has mastered soil mechanics, load assumptions and the limitations of the models can judge whether the result is consistent with reality.
It is true that, in the past, a project required many engineers, which made the service expensive and accessible to few people.
Today, software has drastically increased productivity: a well-prepared engineer can do more, possibly better and at a lower cost, making the service accessible to a much wider public.
Looking at today’s software development market, the scenario is similar to the one engineering went through. Modern tools and AI speed up production, but without a command of the fundamentals, the professional cannot validate, maintain or evolve solutions. Just as in engineering, the tool executes — the conceptual understanding remains human.
The tool did not eliminate the professional, it amplified them. The worries faded, the market adjusted, and the same movement is likely to happen in software development over the next few years.