When AI can write code, analyse data, and produce reports, is an IT professional's expertise still valuable? Steve Jobs answered this years ago: the people who truly change the world are both Thinker and Doer in one. This article unpacks how to evolve from a programmer into a problem solver, and why it's "identity first, then action."
If programmers and data analysts can all be replaced by AI, is a career in IT still worth it? An interview Steve Jobs gave over a decade ago holds the answer.
At the dawn of the AI era, many IT people ask one question: if AI can write code, analyse data, and produce reports, is my expertise still worth anything?
Steve Jobs answered this question more than a decade ago.
In an interview, he made one key point: the people who truly change the world are both Thinker and Doer in one.
What Leonardo da Vinci teaches us
Steve Jobs used Leonardo da Vinci as the analogy — Leonardo wasn't just a painter; he mixed his own pigments and understood chemistry and anatomy. Art and science, thinking and doing, combined — that's what produced extraordinary work.
The tech industry is no different: the people who genuinely contribute have always been the ones who think through the problem and execute it with their own hands.
From Programmer to Problem Solver
If you're a programmer or in another "doer" role, your expertise isn't becoming obsolete — it's time for it to evolve.
Specifically, you evolve into a problem solver:
The Thinker part: understand the problem itself, and use your technical skill to reason toward a solution
The Doer part: use AI to accelerate execution and bring it to life faster
Thinker + Doer — you can't have one without the other.
"Identity" drives action, not the other way around
Behind this is a deeper shift. Most people think, "Once I've produced results, then I'll have earned the right to call myself an AI person." But people who genuinely keep growing do it in the exact opposite order — identity first, then action.
When have you ever heard someone say, "I have to win a marathon first before I dare call myself a runner"? Never. They decide first that "I am a runner," and so in the morning they naturally lace up and head out. Identity leads, behaviour follows, and results then feed back into the identity.
The AI era is the same. You don't need to wait until you're "qualified." You only need to tell yourself first: "I am someone who uses AI to solve problems."
This is the first of the four pillars — "Identity"
In my upcoming free online webinar, I'll fully unpack this shift: how to evolve from "someone who follows instructions" into "someone who uses AI to solve problems."
You'll learn:
Why identity has to come before action
How Thinker + Doer operate together in real work
How to make AI your leverage, not your replacement
Become a valuable AI-era professional who keeps progressing
I run a free online webinar that fully unpacks the first of the four pillars — "Identity": how to evolve from "someone who follows instructions" into "someone who uses AI to solve problems," and how Thinker + Doer operate together in real work.
I'm Alvin Cheung, an IT pro with 15+ years helping businesses level up their tech. I love finding everyday wisdom and exploring how tech and spirituality can enhance our lives. When I'm not geeking out on IT solutions, I'm sharing stories about personal growth and life lessons.
Email: alvin.cheung@astraventure.ai
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