Digital Guilds: How IT Associations Inherit Craft Traditions

Information technology is one of the youngest industries. Although programming has existed since the 1940s, it was only in the past two or three decades that a true boom has occurred: the rise of mass internet in the 1990s, smartphones in the 2000s, cloud computing in the 2010s, and generative artificial intelligence in the 2020s. Within these years, IT has traversed a path that medicine, law, or engineering required centuries to complete. The number of IT companies and specialists has grown many times over, and the industry has become one of the largest in the global economy. We already live in a high-tech world, but the professional community of engineers is still in formation: there is no universal code of conduct, no shared standards, no universally accepted “marks of quality.” In this sense, IT today resembles the early stages of other professions, when, along with the development of technologies, their values, ethics, and traditions were being born.

In the Middle Ages, artisans united in guilds and workshops. These were not merely professional clubs — they established standards of craftsmanship, defended the interests of masters, controlled product quality, and trained apprentices. Of course, guilds also had drawbacks: they limited competition, created barriers for newcomers, and sometimes hindered innovation. But most importantly, they provided an environment of professional solidarity. Guilds made craftsmanship sustainable, and mastery transferable and socially recognized. Modern IT associations do not set prices or regulate markets, but they fulfill a cultural function similar to that of guilds: they create a space where the profession’s values are shaped, standards are upheld, and knowledge and experience are exchanged.

AI is reshaping careers: why, without associations, the profession is at risk

The modern IT industry faces its own challenges. Over the past two years, technologies have advanced at an unprecedented speed, and the adoption of artificial intelligence in business has become a critical factor in competitiveness. Large language models (LLMs) are taking over more and more routine tasks that junior specialists used to perform. Generating simple code, creating tests, writing documentation, and carrying out standard operations — all of this can now be done by machines.

According to a McKinsey (2024) study, employees are actively using AI tools at work, anticipating significant impacts on their roles, and striving to acquire new skills. At the same time, about 41% of workers express concerns and require additional support, particularly regarding AI accuracy and cybersecurity. For AI to be successfully implemented, companies must act responsibly, finding a balance between speed and safety. AI adoption is not only a technological issue but also a business challenge, requiring leaders to coordinate teams, overcome organizational barriers, and restructure processes for effective change.

The flip side of this automation may be the loss of generational continuity. If juniors no longer have practical tasks to work on, the industry may eventually face a shortage of mid- and senior-level professionals. Yes, today a senior with 10–20 years of experience can, with the help of LLMs, perform certain tasks more efficiently and dozens of times faster than juniors. But who will replace the layer of experienced specialists in a few decades? In the short term, AI makes life easier for companies, but in the long term, it may result in a shortage of human capital. Already, university graduates and course attendees struggle to find work, which could push talent into other professions.

The role of associations: digital guilds

This is where professional communities become modern “digital guilds.” Their functions include:

• Establishing standards. Developing practices and methodologies to help navigate rapid change
• Validating knowledge. Through certifications, expert assessments, and project participation, associations record levels of professionalism
• Creating learning environments. Hackathons, mentorship programs, and joint initiatives compensate for the practical experience once provided by routine tasks.

Examples include IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), and our Hackathon Raptors association. These associations set standards, organize conferences, create certifications, and support knowledge-sharing among engineers.

At the same time, professional growth today is also driven by other mechanisms:

• Open source communities (Linux Foundation, Apache, projects on GitHub) enable learning on real products while collaborating with global experts
• Corporate academies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon) create fast career pathways tailored to business needs
• Online communities (Stack Overflow, Reddit, Telegram chats) provide rapid peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

However, associations are what ensure long-term impact: they create professional traditions, establish stable standards, and maintain generational continuity. They foster a stronger sense of “we are building a profession together” rather than simply solving short-term problems.

The reverse side

Associations should not be idealized. Possible risks include:

• Bureaucratization and formalism. When procedures matter more than outcomes, associations become certification machines. Formal membership replaces real expertise, and endless committees stifle genuine knowledge exchange
• Turning into closed clubs. History shows that professional groups can create artificial entry barriers. When membership depends on connections rather than competence, newcomers are disadvantaged. This is especially dangerous in fast-moving industries, where fresh perspectives often matter more than long experience
• Corporate lobbying. Large companies may use associations to push their own interests under the guise of industry standards — for instance, by enforcing the adoption of proprietary technologies through certifications or influencing educational programs. In such cases, associations serve individual players, not the whole community
• Resistance to innovation. When associations become bastions of established practices, they may slow down the adoption of new approaches. Protecting traditions outweighs openness to experimentation.

The true value of an association lies in its practices, transparency, and member engagement — not in its formal structure. A community must regularly ask itself: do we serve the development of the profession, or the interests of a few groups?

IT cannot rely on spontaneous growth alone

The IT industry is changing too quickly to rely solely on self-organization. Associations are becoming the places where people remain at the center — not as performers of routine tasks but as strategists, mentors, and innovators. They help preserve professional culture, creating communities capable of passing mastery to future generations.

What can be done right now?

If you are a beginner:

• Find a relevant association in your field (development, testing, DevOps, Data Science) and follow their events
• Take part in hackathons and workshops — they provide practical experience harder to gain from routine tasks today
• Seek mentors through mentorship programs organized by associations.

If you are an experienced professional:

• Become a mentor for juniors — pass on the knowledge, AI cannot replace
• Share your expertise at conferences, in blogs, or on professional forums
• Contribute to the development of standards and best practices in your domain.

If you are a manager:

• Support employee participation in professional communities — allocate time and budget for conferences and training
• Build internal communities of practice where specialists of different levels exchange knowledge
• Invest in corporate membership in relevant associations.

For everyone:

• Contribute to open source projects — the modern form of guild apprenticeship
• Engage with colleagues through online communities, local meetups, and professional chats
• Combine formats: associations, hackathons, and informal networking.

Only through collective effort can IT evolve from a market of faceless solutions into a mature profession with enduring values and mechanisms for passing on expertise. Digital guilds are not nostalgia but a necessity for the future — one where people, not machines, remain the priority.

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