The latest articles on DEV Community by Nikhil Karmakar (@karnikhil90). https://dev.to/karnikhil90 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1457002%2F7e45c03d-27ec-4c30-8680-f53cd270bd33.jpeg https://dev.to/karnikhil90 en Nikhil Karmakar Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:01:16 +0000 https://dev.to/karnikhil90/the-regret-of-learning-too-fast-with-ai-45m1 https://dev.to/karnikhil90/the-regret-of-learning-too-fast-with-ai-45m1 <p>he main problem is that I feel I’ve lost the deep understanding and confidence I once had when writing code. Earlier, I could explain every line I wrote because I built everything step by step. But after relying heavily on AI tools like ChatGPT, I noticed that my problem-solving ability and code quality have dropped.</p> <p>Even though I’ve been practicing DSA for over 160 days and building small projects, I still struggle to solve harder problems on my own. I often need hints or help, and it feels like I’m not improving as much as I should. I want to write clean, thoughtful code again — not just code that works.</p> <p>Back in 2021–2022, I was introduced to Java in school, and it completely changed how I looked at things. I quickly fell in love with coding — not just the syntax, but the act of building something. I didn’t know I could Google errors or search for help online, so I figured things out myself or asked my teacher.</p> <p>In those early days, I didn’t know what DSA, Maven, or frameworks were. It was just loops, functions, maybe a bit of OOP, and sometimes writing basic utilities like split() just to understand how things worked. It felt pure.</p> <p>Then came AI. ChatGPT helped me code faster, but over time I realized that while I was solving problems quickly, I wasn’t really learning. I wasn’t owning the process like before.</p> <p>Now, two years later, I’ve done some DSA, built a strong practice streak, and worked on a few dev projects. But when it comes to tougher problems, I still rely on help. It bothers me because I want to grow like I used to.</p> <p>So here’s my question:<br> What should I focus on now?<br> How can I rebuild that solid foundation the one where I actually know what I’m doing, not just making things work?</p> <p>Or simply could someone help me with a roadmap?<br> What should I focus on next in DSA, general coding skills, or even embedded development (which I’ve recently started exploring)? I want to get better, but I don’t know where or how to start rebuilding properly.</p>