How to overcome the resistance to fully integrate AI in my daily work?
Sorry if this has been mentioned before, I'm almost sure it did but I need to get it out of my chest and ask for advice.
I have 9 years of experience, worked with a variety of stacks but I'm specialized in backend with heavy product orientation (not just coding tickets). I chose this line of work because of the good balance between money and personal interest in it. I don't consider myself the best out there but I was doing quite okay.
Of course I've been through burnout a handful of times, dealing with technology changing fast, layoffs, toxic work environments, crappy legacy codebases, etc. Even through all that I never wanted to quit being in the field... Untill now.
First I have to clarify one or two things. I'm heavily burnt out due to overwork and life circumstances and haven't been able to afford a break for years (I don't have PTO or paid leave). Being pushed to switch to adopt and keep up with AI under risk of being unemployable is like adding fuel to the fire. I can't find the strength or motivation to accept the change and incorporate it (me liking it or not is not relevant). I sit in front of my PC after an already draining work day and I can't even start learning.
I feel everything I've been doing all these years is going into a black box that I have to steer in the right direction and it depresses me. It's the future, it makes sense people and companies want to use it but I just can't take the first step.
I'm not yet someone confident enough to take high level technical decisions but I'm not a bad engineer either. I was enthusiastic to keep growing towards that role but now the AI boom finds me just in the middle and I feel like drowning in a chaotic to-do list of things to learn and change. My mind is exploding.
I'm not looking for commiseration or a fight between pro AI vs anti AI, we're past that already. I just want to ask for advice on how to try to approach this situation I find myself stuck in without being completely passive and risk obsolescence or burning myself out even more.
Thanks for reading