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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
So here’s my question:
What should I focus on now?
How can I rebuild that solid foundation the one where I actually know what I’m doing, not just making things work?
Or simply could someone help me with a roadmap?
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.
Top comments (1)
Hello, Nikhil Karmakar. I hope you are doing well. First of all, congrats for taking time to reflect on your learning progress, it isn't a smooth process to look inside of us and analyze what we have done and how we can be better. Second, the way to get better is through practice, and if you are looking for a roadmap, I'd like to recommend roadmap.sh.
I wish you luck throughout your journey!
Always here to talk and help!