23-year-old ERP engineer maps a pivot from legacy software to AI application work

NelsonYus · reddit · 2026-07-28

A 23-year-old software engineer working on a manufacturing ERP stack describes his move toward AI application engineering.

He currently maintains legacy systems with C#, Oracle PL/SQL, WinForms, and is also the only person driving RPA automation internally. Seeing how fast AI is changing software development, he wants to pivot toward building enterprise AI applications with LLMs, agents, and automation workflows rather than model research.

He lists the skills he is learning now — vibe coding, Python, RPA, and TypeScript — and says his main concern is whether framework-heavy learning will age badly. He asks what to prioritize in 2026, which skills will compound over time, whether agent frameworks are worth deep study, and what projects best demonstrate AI application engineer ability.

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