How I Hired a Fast AI Junior Developer for $192 a Year

I’ve been coding for 25 years, constantly looking for ways to speed up development. Recently, I found a tool that completely changed how I write code.

For just $192 a year, I essentially “hired” an AI junior developer—Cursor.ai with Claude 3.5. Now, instead of writing code myself, I focus on setting tasks, reviewing, and making corrections.

How My Workflow Changed

I used to break down large tasks, prioritize them, and manually write the code. Now, I assign these tasks to Cursor.com. It writes the code, covers it with tests, fixes bugs, and I only step in to guide and review the results. In the end, about 80% of the code is good to go, and I fine-tune the remaining 20%.

What AI Does Best

It excels at tasks with a clearly defined expected outcome. But there are some quirks:

• It struggles when it’s unclear which library versions to use, especially if APIs have changed.
• Sometimes, it modifies parts of the code I didn’t ask it to touch, showing unexpected “initiative”—which can be either useful or frustrating.

But at times, it really impresses me! For example, I once asked it to analyze my code for potential race conditions, and it not only highlighted unexpected issues but also suggested fixes based on existing patterns in my project.

How My Role Has Changed

I feel like I’ve hired a super-fast junior dev who works 24/7 and gets things right about 80% of the time.
My productivity has increased 2-3 times. I get more done and, more importantly, I have more time to think things through and even take breaks.

Is $192 a Year Worth It?

For me—absolutely. It’s a fully justified investment. I used to have a Copilot subscription but canceled it because it was more of a distraction than a help.

Who would I recommend it to? Pretty much anyone! I even saw a 5-year-old girl build an AI-powered chat with Harry Potter just by giving Cursor.ai commands—without knowing anything about web development. This is mind-blowing and has potential across many fields.

The key is learning how to set tasks properly. Once you do, AI won’t get in your way—it’ll actually help you.