Tips for using AI as a Junior Software Developer

Yes, you can take some advantage of using AI for coding and learning, despite the hype about it!

You've probably heard a lot of info about AI versus software development through the news lately. The most common ones?

The AI will replace software developers.
The AI will replace junior software developers.

The first one is hard to believe just because programming is not only about math and logical concepts: it requires creativity and for AI it's something that the most used service providers like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini are not doing as well as humans (Some people can disagree with this statement but have you seen something truly magical made 100% by IA lately? Be honest). There are some problems related to performance, too: Uplevel's research "Gen AI for Coding Research" found a negative impact on the codebase (41% higher bug rate) among other issues. AI may speed things up, but it's not a silver bullet, and the market is trying to understand it.

The second one is also false, but I have a different perspective about it: AI won't replace Junior software developers but it's going to change how junior developers can evolve: empowering the abilities necessary to thrive in a fast-paced job market, like problem-solving, system design, communication, for example. You, as a software developer in 2025, should be familiar with AI and, for junior developers, it's mandatory to have a good knowledge of the core concepts of AI applied to software development.

I'd like to share some quick tips on how you can use AI as a junior developer to get better results.

Where to start? First: The basics! Master the core skills of software development: data structures and algorithms, database core functions, cloud computing fundamentals, etc… Second: learn how to break down problems into smaller ones, increasing your problem-solving abilities! The more you deliver small, logical parts of the problem you're facing, the more you'll get feedback on how you're doing.

After that, you have to gain proficiency with AI: talking about proficiency for AI, a relatively new subject, seems like I'm trying to sell snake oil but, here's the catch: for Junior developers, this means how to use it as a tool! How to perform a coding review, accept coding suggestions, and small refactorings in your code. And how to use prompting best' practices: provide context, be specific, and understand how AI generates the outputs of prompting. Some people are resistant to the IA adoption, but in 2025, being against it will make you look like a gullible person.

Then, you need to take advantage of AI to learn faster. Why? AI is reducing the timeline for learning advanced topics. A good example? AI could be helpful when studying system design, giving you more examples of use, diagrams, explanations, real-life scenarios, challenges, etc… You can use other resources like books, videos, and courses but try to add AI as much as possible in your study routine! The more you use it, the faster you gain confidence to use it in your daily tasks.

AI won’t replace software developers: ignore the noise and keep learning! Software developers are used to studying new concepts every time to stay updated with tech trends, it’s like an ability we learn like osmosis during the first years after graduation. On the other hand, it’s common to see the “AI thing” as a threat: software developers are expensive professionals, and companies around the world want to maximize their profits and the promises of one AI that can replace hundreds of developers for a quarter of the price seems a great deal, but the industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon: there will be demand for software developers, but for those who are afraid to adapt, the AI represents a new barrier for new jobs or promotions, and for junior software developers it’s a mandatory skill.

And yes, there are a lot of concepts not covered in this text: soft skills, negotiation, communication… Recently, I had to hire a junior developer for one of the teams that I lead and this was surprisingly in a bad way [context: here in Brazil, we don't have the concept of "summer job" — graduates should find an internship during the years of study at the college or find a full-time job as a junior] because a lot of graduates from college or BootCamp finishers are not ready in any of this concepts. I wrote an article in Portuguese with some advice for junior developers trying to get their first job in IT. You can read/translate it here.

If you have read it until the end, feel free to share your comments and give some applause! Now I'm trying to write more in English, so mistakes are part of the process.