I code by hand (sigh) and copy paste some snippets once in a while from a web chat LLM. This also means every single line of such snippets gets reviewed and anaylzed. Usually, these are some arcane Win32 API usage where otherwise I'd have to dig into old forums. I don't want to become a prompt engineer so I stay away from "agentic" workflows.
You're missing out, for better or worse.
As an engineer, the enjoyment from the process is not less important, or should I say more important, than the enjoyment from shipping a final product.
That's probably the single thing that I found to be biggest difference between those who are very pro AI vs. those more reserved or negative.
A colleague has openly stated that he very much does not care for the process, he just want the product. Where I only care about the product in the sense that I have to, because it's my job and for hobbies I pretty much only care about the process. So an LLM pretty much doesn't make sense, because it help by removing the part I care about. They are good tools for debugging and if you're hopelessly stuck on a detail of some weird and obscure API or configuration.
As an engineer, I know what I'm getting paid to deliver is the work product. I don't have too much attachment to any particular set of tools to get there.
If we follow that logic, I believe it means that you would be quite happy in the Product Owner role, or in the role of a client who outsources the actual development activities. I wouldn't.
Do you think the company that pays your wage thinks the same?
Yes, engineer experience/happiness is part of the equation. The company also thinks that agentic workflow will clutter the codebase.