As a college student who has primarily used ChatGPT's free version, I've noticed it doesn't always provide reliable coding help. It often takes inefficient approaches, misses legitimate bugs leading to incorrect outputs, and sometimes fabricates reasons for its code suggestions. I'm looking for a better AI tool that can assist me in understanding programming concepts more deeply and help me write more reliable code. Any recommendations?
3 Answers
I agree with that. Try to avoid using AI as much as possible while learning to program. The beauty of coding is in solving problems yourself. AI can make you dependent and even cloud your understanding of how things work. Embrace the struggle; it's a crucial part of the learning journey. Use AI sparingly to understand concepts better instead of generating code.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend using AI for coding at all. Relying on it can hinder your learning process. If you get used to AI, you might find yourself struggling to code without it, which defeats the purpose of learning.
From an industry perspective, it's better to do the hard work. I've seen interns who depend on AI miss out on basic concepts just to meet deadlines quickly. Learning happens through tackling tough challenges, so stick to that and only use AI for guidance, not code generation.
I see your point. I often just use it to clarify what I’m supposed to do since the instructions can be confusing. But balancing everything with all the assignments is tough. Do you think there’s a way to manage this better?
Thanks for your insight! I usually don’t rely on AI to write code, but I do use it to break down complex problems that are hard to understand. With how fast-paced college is, it’s tough not to lean on it sometimes, though.