I hear you OP. I am a senior developer and hate my current employer. He is a miserly c*nt. Half of our people already left for better paying jobs. To make matters worse, he has recently joined the Claude cult. I am stranded in search of a new job, that does not include AI.
Our former junior has altogether left development, as there are hardly any junior vacancies anymore. He is flipping burgers now and earning better than he did at our company. He is replaced by Claude by my boss, so one salary less to pay.
As for myself, I can do one of two things:
- Find a new development job. It WILL include AI, which I do not want.
- Leave development entirely. At my age, almost every application is met with utter silence, even for related jobs for which I do have some experience.
I will be opening a very expensive bottle as soon as the bubble bursts.




I do not know where you’re from, but aside from the already good advice in this thread, I may have a tip.
My former junior colleague went to an employment agency to test his skills and interests and match him to a new employer. This is a municipal thing. Maybe your city or municipality has a similar option?