It was 15 years ago, the day after Memorial Day, when I started my career as a software developer. Here we are, at the midpoint of the tunnel, and it's time to take a look around.

Things were very different 15 years ago. The economy was in a rut, and there was no future in being a software developer. However, I had passion for it, and wouldn't do anything else, not that there were many better options out there.

Things would look very different in three short years, in 2013, when the stock market started making large gains. I was skeptical at that point that that would be the start of one of the longest bull markets in history.

2014 was probably the start of the software developer boom, where everybody wanted to become a software developer. Venture capital fueled startups snapped up all the software developers and more, and suddenly life was very good being a software developer.

By 2016, though, the market was oversaturated with software developers. A lot of people had jumped in who really went suited to be software developers, but because companies were desperate for software developers, a lot of unqualified people got jobs pretending to be software developers.

Just when it seemed that the economy was going to start cooling, Trump got elected, and for hard to explain reasons, the good times got even better.

Then, the pandemic happened at the end of 2019. This marked the end of the real economy, and the start of some off the rails, uncharted territory. Because everyone was forced to stay home, software development became one of the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak environment. This propelled the profession to heights previously unimaginable. Tech companies experienced an unprecedented boom as they became the virtual world that the real world relied on for everything.

But, then as the pandemic lockdowns ended, life went back to the physical realm at a faster pace than anticipated. Tech companies had to reconcile their workforce to much lower demand than anticipated, and tech layoffs began in 2022, and have continued to the present day.

Looking forward, it seems that the frothy days of being a software developer may be over as the field is oversaturated with talent, and AI is increasing productivity even more. The problems that need to be solved have been solved, and the "Web 3.0" crypto software development has largely lacked true utility. I do not see a bright future in the years ahead, though I believe there will always be a place for competent programmers.

I consider it to be a blessing to have made it 15 years with only 3 months of unemployment, but this was in the midst of a bull market that spanned nearly the entire period. The future is changing and looks more uncertain now than in the previous decade. We'll see where things go from here.