Here's my current rule of thumb: If you have successfully built a couple projects using agentic tooling and Claude 4 or similar models: you are doing a fine job of keeping up. Otherwise, you are at least a generation behind.
Your FOMO threats are way too obvious, and I'm not falling for it . I'm behind you in C++ because I don't use AI? That's ridiculous.
Building projects is valuable, but "keeping up" is contextual - someone using AI effectively in their specific domain is ahead regardless of which generation of tools they're using.
Right now they only thing being left behind is my actual work to be done since I am spending more and mpre time fighting off cursor-written degenerate slop code from creeping into the codebase from "pioneer" developers who are slowly forgetting how to program.
Behind what?
Isn't the whole promise of AI tools that they just work?
What skill am I missing out on learning, exactly, by not using them right now? Prompt Engineering?
I think I'm a reasonably good communicator in both voice and text, so what skill am I failing to train by not using LLMs right now?