DEV Community: Alex Riley

Continuing My Education

Alex Riley — Wed, 28 May 2025 15:27:21 +0000

As a first-generation college graduate, earning my bachelor’s degree from ECPI University was more than a personal achievement, it was a major milestone for my entire family. That moment sparked an important question:

Why stop here?

I’m proud to share that I’ve been accepted into the upcoming master’s degree cohort at ECPI University! Continuing my education at a university that has already had such a positive impact on my academic journey feels like the perfect next step.

Here’s to growth, continued learning, and pushing past limits. I’m looking forward to connecting with professionals, mentors, and peers who share the same drive for excellence!

No Shortcuts to Mastery

Alex Riley — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:22:44 +0000

The Wake-Up Call

I’ve been down the AI rabbit hole before, while learning a new concept, or at least thinking I was.

I’d grown lazy, relying on ChatGPT to write the majority of my code.

The result was a flood of errors. Having not learned my lesson yet, I proceeded to attempt to debug them…with more AI.

The pile of error messages grew until I abandoned the project entirely, unable to debug code I didn’t understand, because I hadn’t written it.

I learned something from that experience:

While AI is very convenient, especially for a beginner, it is not a valid replacement for actual learning and practice.

So, as developers in 2025, how do we navigate AI? We can’t ignore it, but we can’t let it become a crutch either. We need to find a happy balance.

To find that balance, I had to rethink how I approached AI in my workflow.

Rethinking the Role of AI

I began by deleting my ChatGPT bookmark, making it just a little harder to reach for AI while coding.

It was no longer one click away, I had to actually type the URL into the search bar.

Next, I changed my mindset around AI.

I had been treating it like a developer that does my work for me.

But just like asking another developer to do my work, it came with errors and code that I didn’t understand.

Really, I needed to be thinking of it as a mentor.

Would you ask a mentor to do your work for you?

No, because that’s unethical and they’d look at you like you’re crazy.

But you can ask a mentor for help and advice.

Setting Boundaries

Next, I had to set some boundaries with myself when it came to AI.

These boundaries may vary from person to person. You just need to find what works for you, and most importantly, stick to it.

Before Using AI

The steps I follow before I can use AI are:

1. Spend 30–60 minutes trying to solve the problem on your own, with no outside resources.

2. Consult reputable resources (W3 Schools, GeeksForGeeks, Stack Overflow, YouTube, textbooks, etc.)

3. Ask AI only if you still can’t crack it or it’s truly niche.

Following these steps helps to:

Build logic and problem-solving skills. Even if you don’t end up coming to a solution, the act of trying can still work those brain muscles.
Build reliance on reputable sources, rather than a bot that could tell you anything.
Train yourself to view AI as a last resort for solving problems in your code.

While Using AI

The steps I follow while using AI are:

1. Type out every line manually. No copy and paste.

2. Understand every line. Ask AI to explain anything you’re unsure about, even the smallest detail.

Following these steps helps to:

Build muscle memory and help you catch parts of the code that may be incorrect or unfamiliar.
Build comprehension. Coding isn’t just memorizing syntax, it’s also about understanding what you’re writing. Good comprehension can lead to easier debugging or even prevention of errors altogether in the future.

The Improvement

Since setting these boundaries, I’ve noticed a real shift in how I code.

I’m not just solving problems, I’m actually understanding them.

I spend less time backtracking through unfamiliar code and more time building things that work.

Debugging is easier, my confidence is higher, and I’m retaining concepts that used to slip right through.

In Conclusion

AI is just a tool, and like any tool, its value depends on how we use it.

By approaching it with intention and structure, we make it a partner in our growth rather than a shortcut around it.

The goal isn’t to avoid AI, but to collaborate with it wisely.

Growth doesn’t come from avoiding the hard parts, it comes from facing them with curiosity, patience, and the right tools.

If you’ve had a similar experience with AI, good or bad, I’d love to hear how you’re managing the balance.

Drop a comment, share your boundaries with AI, or let me know where you’re still navigating the balance.

Let’s learn from each other!

Link to original: https://medium.com/@alexcancode/a42a4d301f5a

I Cried Over Code, Then Graduated With Honors

Alex Riley — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:34:30 +0000

Today, I hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science.

A couple of years ago, if you had told me I’d be graduating with honors, I wouldn’t have believed you.

So, how did I get from there to here?

Discovering My Path

I enrolled in college for the first time at 17 years old as a biochemistry major. Financial pressure forced me to pause my education, but it didn’t stop me for long.

Years later, I enrolled at a different college, this time as a psychology major. I was disinterested, but unwilling to admit it.

I knew I wanted to pursue something in the sciences, but I hadn’t found the right fit yet.

One night over dinner, my husband and I were discussing our ideal careers. After I finished explaining that I want to work in an environment where I can apply creativity and problem solving to create something meaningful, he informed me that I had just described a career in software development.

I was immediately interested. As soon as I could, I transferred to my third and final college, as a computer science student majoring in software development.

Learning the Language of Logic

They started me off with Logic and Design, a course where I learned to write pseudocode and use Flowgorithm, my training wheels before the real ride began.

I had to complete this course before writing any actual code, and I’m so grateful for that. It laid the groundwork for understanding how to think logically and structure programs before syntax ever came into play.

Once I felt confident writing pseudocode and solving problems visually, I was thrown into the deep end — and it hit hard.

Syntax Errors and Self Doubt

After Logic and Design, the real coding began. Suddenly, I had to worry about syntax, semicolons, curly braces, and language-specific rules. I couldn’t just describe logic in a Word document anymore — I had to make it run.

Despite my problem-solving skills, error messages piled up. I’d fix one, only to be greeted by seven more.

It was overwhelming. I doubted myself constantly.

Was I cut out for this?

One night, after hours of debugging and getting nowhere, I broke down.

I, a full-grown adult, sat in my living room crying over code. The dream, right?

After collecting myself and stepping away for a bit, I sifted through my code line by line.

The problem was a misspelled variable.

That moment taught me a few important lessons:

a. Don’t get too comfortable. There’s always more to learn.

b. Sometimes the best fix is a break. Step away, reset, and come back with clarity.

c. The smallest details can cause the biggest headaches. Troubleshooting should begin with checking for small errors.

When the program finally ran, I felt a wave of satisfaction.

So this is what it feels like to love what you do.

That night was a turning point. I realized that the struggle wasn’t a sign I didn’t belong, it was part of becoming the developer I wanted to be.

It became clear to me that if I wanted to grow, I had to learn to get through the hard parts to experience the reward.

Trusting the Process

Next came object-oriented programming. Once again, I was pushed out of my comfort zone. But this time, I handled it differently.

I watched YouTube tutorials to get different perspectives. I attended lectures I used to skip. I communicated consistently with my professor to stay on track.

Most importantly, I gave myself the space to learn and the grace to make mistakes.

I passed Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and went on to take advanced object-oriented programming courses. I not only passed them all, I excelled, proving to myself that I could thrive in a subject that once intimidated me.

Capstone Chaos and Hard Lessons

The final big hurdle: my Software Development Capstone project. I chose to build a website and while “build a website” sounds simple on paper, it came with two major requirements:

It had to be hosted and have a functional database.

Two issues made the project way harder than it needed to be:

1. Lack of research

2. Scope creep

I had never hosted a website before. A quick Google search for “free website hosting” led me to Glitch. As I began to work, I realized I couldn’t push updates directly from GitHub, which was essential to my workflow.

Back at square one, I performed another Google search and landed on GitHub Pages. I developed an entire user interface before realizing that GitHub Pages doesn’t support databases.

I learned the hard way how critical early planning and research are for deployment.

At the same time, I kept adding features I hadn’t planned for. My very patient and understanding professor told me this tendency had a name: scope creep.

Between poor planning and overbuilding, I ran out of time and turned in an incomplete project. I passed the course with a B+, but I knew I could have done better, and that stung.

Still, it was one of the most valuable lessons I learned.

From Struggles to Strength

Since then, I’ve changed my approach. I research platforms before I use them, often comparing options in a spreadsheet.

Whenever I think of a new feature for a project as I’m building it, I write it down. This allows me to dump the idea somewhere I can come back to it later and continue developing my original idea without skipping a beat.

After pushing through every obstacle, I completed my degree and graduated Magna Cum Laude.

But to get there, I had to practice patience and self-compassion.

I had to stop treating struggles as signs I didn’t belong, and instead see them as proof I was growing.

Applying the Mindset Beyond School

That mindset didn’t end at graduation.

When I was passed over for a role due to a lack of AI experience, I didn’t take it personally. I signed up for a deep learning workshop and earned a certification.

When I noticed that many job listings required React.js, I didn’t panic. I started building a React project to learn the framework.

Every bug, every crash, every moment of self-doubt was a step forward. Not just toward a degree, but toward a mindset of growth and resilience.

And with that mindset, I’m excited for everything that comes next.

Link to the orignal: https://medium.com/@alexcancode/i-cried-over-code-then-graduated-with-honors-d66f65fc2276