Help a fresher out

Hello everyone!

I recently graduated in IT and am looking for my first job. I didn’t get an internship, so I don’t have industry experience yet.

My goal is to become an AI application developer. From what I understand, that requires strong software engineering skills and the ability to build scalable apps and integrate AI tools.

Right now, I’m improving my backend skills with Spring Boot. I’ve built a CRUD app, am learning JWT authentication, and plan to study JPA relationships and Docker next.

I also use AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, but I feel I’m only scratching the surface and haven’t explored agents or tools like n8n yet.

The AI space moves fast, and it’s hard to tell what really matters.

So I wanted to ask:

- Are these tasks useful long-term?

- What projects would truly help me grow as a developer?

- What skills are essential for an AI application developer by 2026?

- If you were starting today, what would you prioritize?

Thanks for any advice!