I realized I wasn't a developer anymore. I was just a prompt engineer with a CS degree.
Last month, I sat down to write a simple Python script to scrape some data. I opened VS Code. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. And then, instinctively, I Alt-Tabbed to Chrome and typed: "Write a python script to scrape..."
I stopped.
I looked at my hands. I realized I hadn't written a for loop from scratch in six months.
I am a Computer Science student. On paper, I am learning how to build the future. In reality, I have become an "Intellectual Glutton." I consume 4 hours of tech podcasts, read 10 Twitter threads on "The Future of AI," and watch 3 tutorials on Next.js every day. I feel incredibly productive. I feel smart.
But if you look at my GitHub, it is a ghost town.
I am suffering from a modern disease that I call "The NPC Trap." And if you are reading this, you might be too.
The Comfort Crisis of Code
We are living in the golden age of "Ease." If I want to build a website, V0.dev does the UI. Cursor writes the backend. ChatGPT handles the logic.
I am not building software; I am assembling it. I am a factory line worker putting pre-made parts together.
The problem is that friction is where the learning happens. When you spend 4 hours debugging a stupid syntax error, your brain physically changes. You build mental models. You gain intuition.
When you ask an LLM to fix it in 3 seconds, you gain nothing. You just move to the next task. You are optimizing for speed, but you are sacrificing competence.
We are creating a generation of "Senior Juniors"—developers who can deploy a full-stack app in 10 minutes but don't know how memory management works.
The "Consumer Developer"
I looked at my peers. We are all the same. We are Consumer Developers.
We treat coding like Netflix. We watch other people build startups on YouTube. We watch "Day in the Life of a Google Engineer" vlogs. We get a dopamine hit from watching someone else solve a problem, and our brain tricks us into thinking we solved it.
It is "Passive Productivity." It is the mental equivalent of watching someone else lift weights and expecting your muscles to grow.
I realized I had become an NPC (Non-Player Character) in my own career. I was watching the main characters build things while I stood in the background, consuming their content.
The Experiment: The "Bunker" Protocol
I decided I was done. I needed to break the loop.
Willpower doesn't work against algorithms that are designed to hack your dopamine. I needed a system. I needed Negative Reinforcement.
I built a "Bunker." It is a digital space with one rule: Production is the only entry fee.
I gathered a small group of students and set a "Kill Switch."
- The Gate: You cannot join without submitting a video pitch of a physical or coded project. No "ideas." No "Waitlist." Show me the code.
- The Rent: You must ship a project update every 30 days.
- The Consequence: If you don't ship, you are banned. Permanently.
It sounds harsh. It sounds "toxic." But it worked.
What Happened When I Turned Off the Noise
The first week was painful. Without the constant stream of "Tech Twitter" and AI assistance, I felt slow. I felt stupid.
But then, something weird happened. The "fog" lifted.
I started dreaming in code again. I started drawing diagrams on paper. The satisfaction I got from making an LED blink on an Arduino (after 2 hours of failing) was higher than any "viral tweet" I had ever posted.
I realized that building is the only antidote to brainrot.
We are drowning in a sea of AI-generated content, fake gurus, and endless tutorials. The only way to survive the "Dead Internet" is to be one of the few people who actually make things.
Join the Resistance
I am not selling a course. I am not an "Ex-Google" influencer. I am just a student who is tired of pretending to be an engineer.
I recorded a short manifesto about this "NPC Trap" and the philosophy behind the Bunker. You can watch it below.
If this resonates with you—if you feel like you are just a "Prompt Engineer" in disguise—maybe it's time to stop scrolling and start soldering.
The world has enough consumers. We need builders.
https://youtu.be/i2xdJ5ISoTI?si=lRyyhvnYuyhth1In