The New Proving Ground

The Real Problem

This is the real problem. The one we need to talk about.

AI is hollowing out the traditional junior developer track.

The proving ground is disappearing. The simple bugs, the first tickets, the "go write this unit test"... The very tasks we used to build new talent. AI now automates them.

So how does anyone new break in? How do they get the reps to build real skill? How do we build the next generation if their entry-level tasks are vanishing?

The Old Training Model Is Obsolete

We have to admit the old training model is obsolete.

The "Carpenter's Apprentice" model is broken. We can't just teach them to hammer nails and saw wood (write boilerplate) for two years and hope they learn architecture. An AI can hammer 10,000 nails a second.

We're not training carpenters anymore. We're training pilots.

And a pilot's most critical skill? Knowing when to trust the autopilot... and when to take the wheel.

The New Training Plan

This requires a new training plan. It has two phases.

Phase 1: The "Manual" Phase (Calibrating the 'BS Detector')

You cannot skip this. We must still teach them to write code. Without AI.

Make them build a small feature. Make them fight a real-world bug. Make them write a test that fails, then passes.

This isn't about romanticizing the "grind" or suffering through to-do apps. This is calibration. It's focused reps to build the one thing AI can't give them: a gut feeling.

You can't spot bad AI code if you've never written good code. You have to feel the friction yourself to build the mental model. This phase gives them a "BS detector" for when code looks right but feels wrong.

Phase 2: The "Co-Pilot" Phase (The Training Flight)

This is where everything changes. You now introduce AI. And the mentor's job flips.

So, what does this look like?

On Monday, your junior gets a feature ticket. They use AI to generate the PR, the unit tests, and the docs in two hours, not two days.

But their "work" has just begun.

For Tuesday and Wednesday, their job is to write a mandatory "Critique & Ownership" doc for that PR. They must answer:

"Why did the AI choose this design pattern? What are two alternatives?"

"Find two edge cases the AI's unit tests missed."

"What is one security vulnerability or performance bottleneck in the generated code?"

On Thursday, your code review isn't about syntax. It's a high-level discussion about their critique doc.

You're no longer checking their typing. You're checking their thinking. The junior's job is no longer production. It is analysis. It is critique. It is ownership.

This Is the New Proving Ground

This is the new proving ground.

Yes, the entry-level bar has changed. AI automated the copy-paste junior and the "grind-it-out" career path. And that's a good thing.

It frees us to teach what matters from day one. Critical thinking. Taste. Architecture. The why.

This new model, if we invest the mentor time, doesn't just build a replacement for the old junior dev. It builds a high-level problem-solver, faster and smarter than ever before.

We just have to be willing to teach.