Hey everyone! I started my programming journey about 8 years ago with Minecraft hacks, and now I'm pursuing a computer science degree. I do well in my programming classes, especially in project-oriented courses like C++.
Despite this, when I try to work on personal projects, I struggle a lot. I often can't find a project idea that excites me, and even when I do, I'm lost on how to begin it. I get overwhelmed by tutorials and end up just copying from ChatGPT — then I'm stuck in a cycle of errors and fixes without truly understanding the code. I've never completed a personal project independently, and it's really messing with my confidence. Has anyone dealt with this? How did you transition from school assignments to finishing your own projects? Any tips or mindset shifts would really help me out!
1 Answer
It's a bit concerning if you feel like you're not really coding when you use AI. You said you're good with assignments, so why not tackle a project that interests you but without any help? Just put your skills to the test!
I get that, but the personal projects feel different. I think I need some guidance on how to get started without relying on AI.