Dear Coder: Open This If You're Feeling AI FOMO
28 Dec 2025 #codingIt’s all over the headlines.
Every so often, someone reveals a model X% faster. A tech CEO makes bold claims about the future of coding. The stock market reacts with euphoria. Prices go up.
AI has also brought new buzzwords. Agents, prompts, workflows, integrations…
FOMO is real.
Almost every week, I find tutorials about “MCP.” Whatever that means. I skip most of them. I’ve chosen my battles. I’m still figuring out how to adopt AI without losing my skills and identifying the problems it brings.
If you’re also experiencing FOMO:
Don’t worry. Fundamentals matter more than ever. Plenty of codebases still suffer from N+1 problems, missing pagination, and SQL injection. Most were written before the AI hype. Now imagine the chaos inside vibe-coded codebases.
There’s still work ahead before (or if) AI shines at coding.
Don’t forget about AI. But build real skills first. Then leverage AI. In that order.
To help you build lasting skills beyond the hype, I wrote Street-Smart Coding. The roadmap I wish I had starting out.