Andrew Ng Says Keep Learning to Code, but Learn the Modern Way

Bashiri Smith · Facebook reel · 2026-09-14 · 0:50 · 8,489 views · Open on Facebook

Topics: Start Here: Roadmaps & Strategy, Industry Trends & Job Market, Resume, Job Search & Interviews · Level: beginner

Summary

The video starts with Andrew Ng's comment that telling people to stop learning to code because AI will automate it may be some of the worst career advice ever given. His reason is that better tools make software engineering easier, so more people should code, not fewer. The creator agrees that coding and structured problem-solving are still very valuable. He also argues that older ways of learning (outdated bootcamps, generic online courses, some college CS programs, and spending months on HTML, CSS and React) will slow you down, and he points to his free AI engineer roadmap instead.

Key points

• Andrew Ng: advising people not to learn to code because of AI may be 'some of the worst career advice ever given'.
• Ng's reasoning: as better tools make software engineering easier, more people should do it, not fewer.
• Coding and structured problem-solving are still among the most valuable skills.
• Learning to code the way people did in 2023 is a waste of time. Many bootcamps, online courses, certifications and university CS programs are behind.
• Spending 6 months on HTML, CSS and React just to build basic websites is a trap: you learn the wrong things and fall about 6 months behind.
• The creator offers a free step-by-step path meant to get you job-ready for the 2027 market.

Resources mentioned

• Andrew Ng · person · x.com · free · recommended by both Bashiri Smith & Melvin Vivas
  A leading AI researcher and educator whose view is that more people should learn to code as AI tools improve.
  Also in: Building Adaptive AI Agents: Skills from Traces and Code Knowledge Graphs (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Andrew Ng's AI Engineering Skills Map (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Andrew Ng on how anyone can become an AI Engineer (Melvin Vivas on X · notes)
• The Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Exact Courses + Step-by-Step) · video · youtube.com · free
  Bashiri Smith's free YouTube training on upgrading your skills and becoming competitive for AI engineering roles, with specific courses listed step by step.
  Also in: SWE-to-AI Engineer Plan for 2027: LLMs, RAG, Agents, Evals, Job Search (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Pointer to Bashiri Smith's Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Step-by-Step Roadmap to a $200K+ AI Engineering Role (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Software Engineer to AI Engineer Before 2027: A 5-Step Career Plan (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes) and 19 more
• BASWE.Ai Engineer (Skool community) · community · skool.com · paid
  The creator's paid community and program, with an AI learning roadmap (including the full ops and evaluation track), daily calls with engineers and recruiters, resume and portfolio help, and a job-search pipeline.
  Also in: Basic RAG Pipeline in 60 Seconds: From Documents to Grounded Answers (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Pointer to Bashiri Smith's Complete AI Engineer Roadmap for 2026 (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), Step-by-Step Roadmap to a $200K+ AI Engineering Role (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes), How to Evaluate a RAG Pipeline: Retrieval vs. Generation (Interview Answer) (Bashiri Smith on Facebook · notes) and 76 more

Try this

• Keep learning to code. Don't follow the advice to quit because of AI.
• Don't spend months on HTML, CSS and React just to build basic websites.
• Follow the creator's free AI engineer roadmap video to learn the modern way.
• Comment 'path' on the video to get the free step-by-step guide.