Christine Miao from the CTO Craft conference in Toronto tells companies that eliminating junior positions creates a structural problem, and AI can be both a shortcut and an obstacle in their development.
The IT industry never stands still, and companies must continuously evolve, with junior developers being a crucial part of that equation, believes Christine Miao, founder and researcher at Technical Accounting. In an interview with Netokracija following her talk at the CTO Craft conference in Toronto, Miao offered a fresh perspective on why entry-level positions matter more than ever, despite the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
At first glance, the decision to reduce the number of junior positions appears business-justified. AI systems can generate code, while experienced programmers can review it, and the cost of entry-level salaries is no longer negligible. However, Miao warns that such an approach is short-sighted, and juniors are not just a cost but the foundation of company survival.
Miao attributes part of the blame for this trend to investors. "They don't distinguish between cutting costs to maintain EBITDA and building a new product or creating a new growth area. In their minds, since the numbers are the same, it all boils down to the same thing," she said. This mindset, she explains, then trickles down through management, and juniors, whose contribution is harder to measure immediately, become easy targets for cuts.
Miao emphasizes that having juniors on the team also significantly impacts seniors. Mentoring someone going through a steep learning curve changes how work is organized and fosters a sense of responsibility that cannot be developed toward a large language model (LLM).
"I hope no one feels responsible toward an LLM the same way they feel responsible toward a young person learning how things work for the first time," Miao said. She adds that another advantage of juniors is that they don't have old work habits to unlearn, which can be a good strategy for organizations struggling to get engineers to actually use the AI tools they've already paid for.
When AI enters the equation, mentoring becomes more complex. Miao doesn't dismiss the issue that AI can create juniors who don't truly understand what they're doing. "There are juniors who produce 'quickly made, bad code' that they don't understand and can't debug," she explained.
On the flip side, there are cases of beginners who, with the help of AI tools, reach a more advanced skill level in about three months, significantly reducing training costs for companies. Which path juniors take depends on two key factors: the company's genuine commitment to mentoring and sound software development foundations. "If you have a good foundation, AI becomes simpler, and junior progress is easier," Miao emphasized.
Miao believes today's job market acts as a sort of filter. In the past, almost anyone with basic programming knowledge could easily get a job, but nowadays, a stronger connection to the profession and genuine expertise are necessary. She highlights the most important traits of a good junior: the desire to improve, the ability to recognize when something clicks, and the perseverance to push through parts that don't come naturally.
The reduced opening of junior positions creates a long-term structural problem for companies, Miao warns. "You reach a point where you're so busy keeping the system alive that you no longer have time to teach anyone. At that point, honestly, money won't solve the problem," she concluded.
For organizations that notice this trend, the current situation may present a favorable opportunity. There is an abundance of entry-level talent right now, their demand has decreased compared to before, and with proper care, they often develop into very loyal employees. Companies that view juniors as an opportunity to build a competitive advantage will be in a better position long-term than those that see them only as a cost.
