Coding is like literacy, but the way you apply that skill evolves and becomes specialized. Just like there's different kinds of writing like technical writing,

Coding is like literacy, but the way you apply that skill evolves and becomes specialized. Just like there's different kinds of writing like technical writing, creative writing, etc. There's roles for people that focus on lower-level operating system or embedded systems development. There's roles for people that focus on frontend, or web application development. There's many roles where you wouldn't be considered a software engineer, but involve coding like in science or research. While being a good software engineer (like being a good writer) are skills that translate well, I think the specializations and skills will continue to evolve into different niches. Some of these niches will be longer lived, others more transitory. When you develop your own skills, you have to decide if the skills you invest in are going to be longer-lived/valuable, or if they'll go away and not be particularly useful.