I'm curious about how everyone else is utilizing AI in their programming studies. Personally, I ask questions like, 'What's a typical file structure for framework A?' or 'Can you show me how OAuth is implemented?' I prefer getting code samples and then modifying them to fit my needs. Do you think that approach is too reliant on AI or not enough? There are voices out there saying not to let AI do the thinking for you, but how do you all balance that? Also, if you have other traditional ways of learning or practicing programming concepts, I'd love to hear those!
6 Answers
Honestly, I don't use AI at all. I prefer reading books, research papers, and looking at other people's code. Learning is all about practice, so I keep at it until I understand completely!
I'm in the same boat and just don't see the need to use AI for coding support.
Think about the difference between advice from a blog post or book and how AI gives you answers. The former is usually vetted by professionals, while AI might just churn out code. I think the former is way more valuable because it tends to come from informed human experience.
I try to avoid letting AI do the heavy lifting for me. Instead of asking it to solve my specific problem, I focus on general queries. For example, instead of saying 'Help me write a string reversal function in C,' I would ask 'How do I pass an array into a function in C?' This way, I get the information I need to solve it myself. I always follow up with questions to ensure I understand the concept better. Relying too much on AI can kill the learning process if you just accept its solutions blindly.
Not to mention, if you had a mentor, you'd want to dig deep into every line of code they show you to really grasp it all, right?
I've started using GitHub Copilot to generate coding challenges for myself and also to evaluate my solutions. It's a great way to learn by doing, rather than just passively receiving information.
I personally steer clear of using AI for data structures and algorithms. If I'm tackling a new library implementation, I'd usually read the documentation first. Sure, asking AI might be quicker, but understanding the materials takes time and builds patience – that itself is a valuable skill!
Would you ask it about file structures or naming conventions when learning a new language like Rust? Or would you stick to example projects and docs? I'm curious about how folks handle the nuances of learning new concepts.