On the earth of programming, technical chops have at all times been the golden ticket. However through the years, a few of the finest programmers I’ve employed and labored with didn’t come from pc science backgrounds. They got here from the humanities — music, philosophy, literature. These liberal arts grads introduced a contemporary perspective to programming, one which’s not at all times straightforward to search out.
And as generative AI adjustments the sport, this edge will solely change into extra useful. With AI dealing with the ABCs of programming — the line-by-line code writing — what’s left is the tougher stuff: understanding issues deeply, speaking with stakeholders, and designing options that make sense in the actual world.
Programming Isn’t Simply About Code
Programming has by no means been purely about logic. Certain, you want what was known as left-brain ability — the power to translate technical specs into exact code. However a programmer’s actual worth comes once they push past that: recognizing patterns, fixing complicated issues, and seeing connections that others miss.
I first observed this way back. A proficient colleague used to entertain a roomful of fellow IT employees by taking part in and singing Eric Clapton tunes. He was additionally a gifted coder, able to recognizing patterns, and fixing issues otherwise.
Programming is a artistic course of, not in contrast to music. The notes matter, however so does figuring out when to riff, the way to construction, and the way to construct one thing that’s greater than the sum of its components. It’s no coincidence that the very best developer I ever labored with, interval, was a music main.
Liberal arts majors don’t come to work burdened with technical rigidity. They’ve spent their time dissecting concepts, making connections between ideas, and considering critically. They’ve honed their writing and storytelling. These abilities are extremely useful, particularly now.
GenAI Is Altering the Job
GenAI is basically altering what it means to be a programmer. Instruments like GitHub Copilot and Google’s Gemini can write code, debug easy points, and automate most of the duties that used to take up time. However AI doesn’t know the way to ask the precise questions, interpret person wants, or mildew its output into one thing that is sensible in a broader context. That’s nonetheless a human job.
The function of the programmer is evolving, presumably splitting into two paths. There’ll at all times be a spot for the hardcore programmer with a pc science background, somebody to make techniques speak to at least one one other. For others, name them citizen programmers, the work is not nearly writing code line by line; it’s about figuring out the way to work with AI, guiding it, and figuring out when and the place human enter is most wanted.
That is the place that liberal arts mindset is available in — having the ability to perceive the nuances, assume critically about person expertise, clarify issues simplistically, and piece collectively concepts in new methods.
Getting ready for the AI Future
So, what ought to companies do with this perception? First, it’s time to rethink expertise and search for individuals who can adapt, assume on their toes, and see the massive image. This outreach may begin on the college degree the place IT recruiters start visiting main liberal arts and music faculties along with the standard technical faculties on their lists.
We additionally want to acknowledge that probably the most useful abilities don’t at all times present up on a resume. How do you measure the power to see a brand new resolution that no person else thought of? Or the capability to know what a person is actually asking for, even when they will’t fairly articulate it? These are the abilities that may matter most, even when they don’t match neatly right into a job description.
And as soon as these new minds are employed, there’s a necessity to alter how we strategy growth inside our groups. AI isn’t going to cease evolving, and neither can we. For the following few years, individuals will concentrate on studying the way to use these new instruments. However past that, it’ll be about determining the way to create with them. And that’s going to require individuals who aren’t afraid to query how issues have at all times been accomplished.
All this variation isn’t mere principle; it’s occurring proper now. As a substitute of searching for individuals who tick all of the technical bins, I’m searching for those that convey a artistic mindset to the desk. Hiring can’t be merely about pulling in additional STEM graduates. It should be about constructing an surroundings the place individuals with totally different backgrounds can work collectively to resolve issues.
The way forward for tech work can be formed by those that can use AI to amplify their creativity, their empathy, and their skill to resolve powerful issues. In my expertise, that’s usually the particular person with a background within the humanities.