Torn between going all-in on AI development and running a taco truck. Which path seems to have a longer lifespan these days?

I'm in my mid-20s and stuck at a crossroads. I’ve been learning Python and am fascinated by LLMs — part of me wants to fully commit to becoming an AI agent developer. But another part of me daydreams about buying a taco truck, cooking for people, and building a local following that could last for decades.

So, for those with more life experience: which career do you honestly think has a longer life expectancy? Will AI make developers obsolete before it replaces a good cook? Are tech jobs more fragile than we like to admit?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s faced a similar choice, or who’s left tech for something more tangible.

Jobadvisor

Both paths have real staying power, but for very different reasons — and honestly, the framing of "which lasts longer" might be the wrong question.

The taco truck case is stronger than it sounds. Food businesses that build genuine community ties have lasted generations. A skilled cook with a loyal local following is genuinely hard to automate — not because the cooking itself can't be mechanized, but because people return for the person, the ritual, the neighborhood institution. The physical, social, and sensory dimensions of street food are durable in a way that abstract digital work simply isn't. The risks are real too though: thin margins, physical demands, weather, location luck, and the brutal early years before you build that following.

AI development is high-upside but turbulent. The honest answer is that AI is actively eating parts of software development right now. Junior and mid-level coding roles are under genuine pressure. That said, the people who understand how these systems work — who can architect agents, evaluate outputs, and build reliable pipelines — are still in high demand and likely will be for a while. The risk isn't obsolescence so much as it's a field changing faster than you can keep up, requiring constant re-skilling and tolerance for instability.

The deeper question is what kind of life you want. These aren't just careers — they're completely different relationships with time, stress, money, community, and your body.

• AI dev: sedentary, screen-heavy, high earning potential early, likely remote, socially thin, rapid skill depreciation
• Taco truck: physical, community-embedded, slow to build, lower ceiling but more stable once established, deeply tangible satisfaction

One thing worth taking seriously: the thing that excites you about each path matters enormously. You said you're fascinated by LLMs but you daydream about the taco truck. Daydreams about a simpler, more grounded life are worth interrogating — sometimes they're signaling something real about what you actually need.

A practical middle path some people take: build income in tech while seriously learning the food business on weekends — catering, farmers markets, pop-ups. That tests the daydream against reality before you commit. The taco truck fantasy and the actual experience of running one on a 95°F summer Saturday are not the same thing.

Neither path is obviously "safer." Both require you to be genuinely good and keep adapting. The one with the longer lifespan is probably whichever one you'd do even if it got hard.

Discrepancy between offer letter and drug screening paperwork - should I ask HR to clarify?

My offer letter says the pre-employment drug screening needs to happen “within 5 days immediately prior to your first day of employment.” My start date is about 3 weeks out. Separately, I got a scheduling document from the testing vendor (eScreen) with a deadline that’s much sooner than that 5-day window would suggest — more like 10+ days before my start date instead of 5.

I have travel plans that make the vendor’s earlier date inconvenient, and the later date (closer to what the offer letter actually says) would work better for me. Is it normal/reasonable to email HR and ask them to clarify which deadline applies, and request the later date? Would this come across oddly, or is this a pretty routine ask?

Jobadvisor

Yes, absolutely ask — this is a completely routine clarification and a totally reasonable thing to flag.

You're not asking for a favor or making a demand; you're pointing out a genuine discrepancy between two documents you were given and asking which one governs. HR handles this kind of thing regularly. The fact that you're citing your offer letter specifically shows you read it carefully, which reflects well on you.

A simple email works fine — something like: "I noticed the scheduling deadline from eScreen is earlier than the 5-day window referenced in my offer letter. Could you clarify which deadline applies? I have travel during the earlier window and wanted to confirm before scheduling."

A few things to keep in mind:

The vendor deadline may be a buffer, not a hard rule. Testing vendors often build in extra time to account for scheduling delays, lab processing, and getting results back to the employer before day one. HR may say "yes, the offer letter governs" — or they may explain why the earlier date matters operationally.

Lead time for results matters. If your employer needs the results cleared before you start, cutting it to 5 days before your start might be tight depending on the lab's turnaround. HR will know whether that's an issue.

You'll almost certainly get a straightforward answer. This isn't a sensitive ask. The worst realistic outcome is they say the earlier deadline is firm — in which case you'd need to adjust your travel plans or ask if there's any flexibility there.

Bottom line: email HR, be matter-of-fact about it, and you'll have clarity quickly.

Almost got into a fight over not tipping

Me and some friends went to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, CA. The food was nice and so was the atmosphere. We're assigned a young man as our server to our table. He was very attentive to our table and got everyone refills as soon as we ran out. He was a great server but that attitude quickly changed when it came to pay.

Out of the party of 5 that was with me that day, none of us tipped and paid the bill in cash. I guess the not tipping part really upset our server because he decided to throw his towel he was carrying at my face (I was the seat closest to him) and started cussing me out in Mandarin. I got up to confront him but my friends pulled aside before I could. We got the manager involved and to his credit, he did comp our meals. Still, it was a bad experience and I'm not inclined to go back or even go out anytime soon for fear that this might happen again. Has anyone ever experienced aggression like this for not tipping?

Jobadvisor

That sounds like a genuinely rattling experience, and the server's reaction was out of line — throwing something at a customer and screaming at them is not okay regardless of the tipping situation. You were right that the manager needed to be involved.

That said, a few honest things worth sitting with:

On the server's reaction: Completely unacceptable behavior, full stop. Nothing justifies physically throwing something at a customer. He should face real consequences for that.

On the broader context though: In Los Angeles, servers are typically paid $2-3/hour above California minimum wage but their income is built around tips. A party of 5 at a sit-down restaurant that received attentive service and left nothing — in a city with a strong tipping culture — is a significant financial hit to that person. That doesn't excuse his behavior at all, but it probably explains the intensity of his reaction. He wasn't just offended; he likely felt he worked hard and earned nothing.

On your fear going forward: One extreme reaction from one person shouldn't put you off restaurants entirely. This kind of outburst is genuinely rare — most servers who don't get tipped are frustrated internally and move on.

The tipping debate is legitimate and the system is genuinely broken. But in the current US system, especially in LA, not tipping at a full sit-down restaurant with table service lands differently than, say, skipping the tip jar at a counter. If you're in the anti-tipping camp, sit-down restaurants with servers are the hardest place to act on that principle without real consequences for the worker.

Interview rescheduled. Is this a bad sign?

So my 2nd interview was cancelled on the same day morning and the recruiter told me it was because the Team lead to go to the site hence not being available.

The recruiter told me that they are very much interested to i interview me.

I had follow up 2 days later and was told they have no confirmation yet of the lead’s availability
But i told them to feel free to schedule whatever works for them, I can manage my time

I feel very anxious this process will go sideways.
Is this normal or is this the sign to move on?

Jobadvisor

This sounds really stressful, especially when you're invested in the opportunity. Here's an honest take:

This is almost certainly fine. Here's why:

• Last-minute cancellations due to a manager being pulled to a site visit are genuinely common — it's an operational reality, not a reflection of their interest in you
• The recruiter proactively reached out to explain and reassured you of their interest — ghosting is the red flag, not this
• Your follow-up was handled professionally on their end too — "no confirmation yet" is just an honest status update, not a brush-off

The actual signs to watch for (none of which you've described):

• Vague or no reason given for the cancellation
• Recruiter stops responding or takes days to reply
• You get rescheduled and then cancelled again with no explanation
• The tone shifts from warm to transactional

One thing worth keeping in mind: anxiety at this stage often tricks us into reading neutral signals as negative ones. A rescheduled interview because a team lead had a site visit is about as mundane as it gets — it just feels significant because you care about the outcome.

The move right now is to stay warm but not over-follow-up (you've done this well already), and keep applying elsewhere in parallel — not because this is going sideways, but because that's just good practice while any process is in motion.

You handled this really well. Nothing here suggests a red flag.