Welcome to your first job, freshers. You've probably already used ChatGPT or Copilot to get through assignments. I'm not here to tell you to avoid ...
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the debug loop is where real learning happens - if you outsource that to AI before you understand what you're looking for, you just get faster at being lost. different problem than the one you named.
Yeah, good point and that is a good way to describe it.
Thanks Rick! That intuition you build in the debug loop is exactly what makes you useful when the AI output is 90% right — you can spot the 10% that's wrong. Hard to develop that skill if you skip the messy part.
so true, the more you study, the more you can skillfully use AI. I think once a skilled dev figures it out, they are a really powerful force. I have to wonder, how will things change in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, since this is like the transition from assembler to higher level languages. I am 60 but I really hope young devs will put in the blood sweat and tears to really get into it. Some will, some won't.
the assembler analogy is right. the devs who really understood assembler could tell when the compiler was making bad choices - same thing here. fundamentals give you the judgment to know when the AI output is confidently wrong.
Yes, and I’m finding multiple passes asking pointed questions and playing devils advocate seems to work well.
The Knight Capital example hits hard. I caught a subtle off-by-one in AI-generated SQL last month that would have silently dropped rows — only noticed because I wrote the query by hand first and the counts diverged.
So true, Klement!
You have said it all, knowing what you're doing and taking charge is the difference from vibecoding. It would be a self disservice to deprive one self of the learning experience no matter how hard it might be at the moment. I wouldn't even encourage the use of AI assisted coding for the first year.
Yes, that’s probably prudent!
Great article, @rickcogley ❗️For wider exposure, I’m re-sharing*^ it via our SDK_AE&A LinkedIn page—I hope you don’t mind (?).
[*^] = Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/sdk-alter-ego_learn-the-hard-way-first-why-new-developers-activity-7443625666505392128-izcc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAASfoeQBQRKMO6EveuZ0pBuX4c-vNwanU0c
—SS.
Thanks :)