Hey everyone, I recently graduated from high school and have been passionate about programming since I was in the sixth grade. My ultimate goal is to become a game developer, but I've also grown to love programming as a whole. However, I'm struggling with feelings of self-doubt and wondering if I really know anything at all.
I managed to create a neural network in C with help from ChatGPT, who assisted me with math concepts and suggested algorithms to use. While I could get tips from ChatGPT about improving my code, I often brushed them aside because I didn't come up with those ideas myself. I can't shake the feeling that without ChatGPT, I wouldn't have completed my project. Could someone share their thoughts on whether this reliance on AI is a good or bad thing for my learning? Before the neural net, I worked on various smaller projects like Pong, Snake, 2048 in JavaScript, and a physics simulation using verlet integration, but I've started forgetting some of those too. So, am I an impostor? (By the way, C is the GOAT!)
3 Answers
Hey, it's totally fine not to write everything from scratch! What's important is that you keep trying and learning. If you keep developing your own projects, you'll start seeing patterns and improving over time. Forgetting details is normal—focus on the concepts and what you can do better next time. Your first project is always special, but your growth is more valuable!
First off, you're definitely not an impostor! What you're feeling is something called imposter syndrome, which is super common among programmers, especially beginners. It's perfectly okay to use AI tools like ChatGPT for assistance. It can be a great resource when you're stuck, but try to rely on it minimally to build your own problem-solving skills. Remember, if you're learning something new each day, you're on the right track!
Honestly, you're ahead of many people! I only dabbled in HTML back in the day, and now I've forgotten it all. When it comes to using tools like ChatGPT, I've had mixed experiences too, and sometimes they don’t deliver exactly what I asked for, which can be frustrating. But it sounds like you're handling it well since you’re successfully packaging code and integrating new libraries into your projects. What other tools have you tried?
I appreciate that! I just feel like if I can't code everything from scratch, I'm failing. But I guess learning is what matters most.