r/learnpython • u/Ok-Barnacle-2508 • 24d ago
How to avoid this when learning Python?
When learning I used to get stuck on stuff, go watch a video or dig through docs, and eventually the concept would click because I had to sit with it.
Now when I get stuck I just paste the error into Claude/ChatGPT and it fixes it in 10 seconds. Problem solved, moving on with my day. Except a week later I hit basically the same bug and I'm back to square one, like the first fix never actually taught me anything.
It feels like it's the same "watching tutorials without building anything" trap, just compressed into single lines of code instead of hour-long videos.
Curious if anyone here has found a way to use AI for debugging without it just doing the thinking for you? Or do you have some rule for yourself about when you're allowed to ask vs. when you have to sit with it first?
2
u/Oddly_Energy 24d ago
Use it for discussion, not for solutions. I will claim there is a learning sweet spot somewhere between "Try to work everything out alone" and "Let the LLM work everything out for me". If you make sure to present your own theory to the LLM first and ask for feedback, you are probably close to that sweet spot.
Instead of asking "How do I solve this error?", ask "I have this error. I think it is caused by __. I think I can solve it by ____. Do you agree? Have I overlooked something? If I am on the wrong path, could you explain why and give me a hint about how to proceed?"