Software engineer and content creator Anelie Verma argues that coding is still a strong career path in the AI era—provided you go beyond surface-level prompting, build real projects, and treat networking and personal brand as real work, not extras.
AI Won’t Replace Good Engineers—It Will Reward Specialists
Verma believes specialization will matter more as AI tools spread. Knowing how to prompt isn’t enough; people who deeply understand systems (often via advanced study or equivalent experience) will be the ones who design and ship the next wave of products.
From Gujarat to Big Tech and 17,000 Followers Overnight
She grew up in Gujarat, moved to the U.S. for a computer science degree, and interned at big tech firms. While learning data structures, she wrote ultra-simple notes, turned them into blog posts, and shared them on LinkedIn—one post on eight basic data structures brought in roughly 17,000 new followers overnight in 2019.
Explain Like a Human, Not a Bot
Even with AI tutors, Verma says explainer content still has a place: human teachers who use real-life analogies and objects can make hard ideas click in ways generic AI responses often don’t. She simplifies aggressively in 60-second videos, then offers deeper written breakdowns for those who want more.
Getting That First Internship: “Ten Angles for the Same Role”
As an international student, the hardest part was her first internship—figuring out U.S.-style recruiting, fixing a bloated resume, and realizing companies wouldn’t just come to campus. She responded by attacking each target company from multiple angles: online applications, hackathons they sponsored, conferences, career fairs, and cold messages to recruiters, engineers, and managers.
For companies like Apple, Meta, and Microsoft, she says she might have used 10 different approaches for the same role, ultimately landing offers from all three plus startups.
Busy vs Productive: Exponentially Applying, Not “One Referral and Wait”
Verma pushes back on the idea that sending a few applications is enough in a tough job market. One referral is rarely sufficient; she recommends “exponentially applying”: combining events, conferences, hackathons, in-person conversations, and direct outreach, then regularly stepping back to ask whether you’re doing the highest-impact actions—not just staying busy.
Projects Over Endless Tutorials
For students (especially international ones), she sees a trap in passively consuming tutorials and online courses without shipping anything. Her advice: build small, useful scripts for your own life, and, when possible, join university research groups or open-source efforts where you can read real code and contribute—even if you start with documentation or small fixes.
Bootcamps, Degrees, and Depth
Verma credits a four-year university for giving her structure, peers, research access, and career fairs, but acknowledges that bootcamps can work for highly disciplined people. Her recurring theme: in a world where AI can generate average code, depth of skill—no matter how you get it—will matter most.
Personal Brand and Networking: Three Messages a Day
She recommends at least maintaining a light personal brand—posting weekly on LinkedIn about what you’re building or learning—and treating networking as a long-term habit. As a student she sent three messages a day: one aspirational contact, one target-role contact, and one peer, slowly building a network that now spans many companies and even fields.
Why She Still Codes Full-Time
Despite being a top creator, Verma keeps her big-tech engineering job. She sees it as the primary place she grows technically and says she wouldn’t feel right teaching tools she no longer uses herself.
Key Takeaways for Aspiring Developers
- Coding is still a strong bet—but go deep, don’t just prompt.
- Ship projects, not just collect certificates.
- Treat applications like a campaign, not a one-click errand.
- Build a light but consistent online presence.
- Network consistently; your second- and third-degree network will matter more than you think.
