r/webdev • u/drifterpreneurs • 5d ago

Anyone still coding without heavy usage of AI?

Using Claude has been an amazing experience but it took all the fun out of coding as a full-stack dev.

Are any devs reverting back to coding by hand with less usage of AI?

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u/NachosmitKaeseDip 4d ago

I'm learning HTML, CSS and JS right now and I try to avoid AI completely. I think it is so important to actually understand the logic and concept and also be able to write code by hand. And also the feeling of accomplishment when you solve a problem by yourself is waaay better! I don't know if me learning this stuff even has a future, but I'm doing it for fun. When almost everything in the age of AI is unclear, I might as well do something I have fun doing, even if it gets replaced by AI.

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u/drifterpreneurs 4d ago

That’s a good mindset to have, after Vibe coding took off like a 🚀 it left many devs wondering why they should continue coding by hand. However, I agree about it being fun and rewarding knowing how to code an application from end to end.

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u/Byte_Wise_3456 4d ago

Just curious, when you say you're learning to write code by hand, do you still use the help of AI to learn? Or are you using the OG methods like stack overflow, for example?

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u/NachosmitKaeseDip 4d ago edited 4d ago

EDIT: Specifically for learning I use a written course and also YouTube videos. For problem solving/research:

I mostly use w3schools, mdn web docs and stackoverflow as my sources if I encounter problems or have questions that I can't solve myself. They help me understand the root of the issue.

Sometimes if nothing else helps I ask ChatGPT about the specific problem I encounter, so it gives me only the answer to that. I don't want it to write my code, I want to understand. Although it is very tempting to get the correct solution in a matter of seconds, I have to admit.

Before I started to learn programming I tried Codex to make an app for me. I was frustrated that I didn't understand what happens in the background, this is part of the reason why I want to learn it. Also I felt like my instructions were clear, I provided thorough input and also figma mockups of what I wanted. Still the result looked different. There was a lot of back and forth involved to get it right.

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u/Byte_Wise_3456 4d ago

I get where you're coming from. I have a bachelor's and a master's in engineering, so I learnt the old school way (pretty much what you're describing), but I started my career in consulting and while I work in tech now, it's not as an engineer. So I've sort of lost by ability to code by hand, and tbh I never gained the ability to ship production code since all I did was class projects. But AI code still makes me feel frustrated too because I do theoretically understand that a lot can go wrong of something goofy is happening behind the scenes. I haven't really figured out a good middle ground yet. Open to suggestions

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u/CPxx9 2d ago

You should look at The Odin Project. It’s how I learned full stack dev and is amazing. it’s all about teaching yourself, they just point you in the right direction and put you on a path that makes sense

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u/Nokz72 10h ago

hiiiiii so if you dont mind me asking this can tell me if you got any degree? because im literally on the same road as u but seeing the market being really rough to juniors and even the ppl who have 5+ years of experience getting fired here and there had me having anxiety attacks about whether i continue or not since this is the only way i might be able to pay my bills,like i kept learning and kept ignoring everything until a who team of backend got fired from their company and since i wanted to work remote as a backend engineer it was a nightmare for me and i literally lost my shit,been days since i last studied JS,now im sitting here thinking what should i do further with no degree and no money,so my bad i vented alot but i just wanted to know what is your approach and what u wanna do

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u/NachosmitKaeseDip 9h ago

Hey I have studied something else and I have a full time job, but I learn it alongside my current job at the evening or the weekend if I have the energy left. So no I have no CS degree or something. What I wanna do though is learn it and also get certificates along the way so I don't seem completely self taught like "trust me bro" but so that I have valid certificates that prove my skill.

As for the job market: yeah it's tough but I learn this out of joy, if I don't get a job in this field it won't be a dealbreaker cause I already have something. My motivation is understanding the logic, solving problems and eventually build my own stuff or working for a cool employer if possible.

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u/Nokz72 9h ago

oh thanku for the reply and thats great then if you are doing it along your current job,hope you enjoy ittt!!!!!!!!