Hey everyone! I just wanted to reach out for some guidance. I'm a late bloomer in programming, having recently started learning WPF and Unity. I'm still at a beginner level and haven't completed major projects yet. Until now, I've been coding manually, mainly using AI just to look up information I'm unsure about. But after seeing AI quickly generate code, I can't help but feel uncertain about the value of my manual coding practice. Should I pivot to learning only the basics and focus more on leveraging AI tools instead? Also, I'd love to hear how coding is being approached in the real world nowadays, especially with AI being such a big part of the scene!
3 Answers
I think it’s great that you’re getting started in programming at your own pace! But honestly, it can take more time to fix the code that AI outputs than it would to just write it yourself. So yeah, manual coding still holds a lot of value. Even with AI's help, you're gonna need those foundational skills.
I've been working with AI in my dev job for a while now, and honestly, I hardly write code by hand anymore. But that doesn’t mean I just accept all the AI generates—I still need my domain knowledge to steer it right. AI’s not perfect; it requires a human touch to really shine.
For sure! Just knowing how to guide the AI and understand its limitations will make you way more effective as a programmer.
Look, AIs can generate code that might impress newbies, but they still struggle with complex problems. So, if you want to be truly effective, you should definitely keep honing your coding skills. There's still plenty of room for skilled programmers as AI can't handle everything yet.
Exactly! Building a solid programming foundation will help you understand what the AI is doing and when to question its outputs.

Totally agree! Knowing how to code yourself is crucial because AI can make mistakes, and without understanding the basics, you won’t know how to fix those errors.