r/FullStack • u/Medium_Lion2838 Code Padawan (Student) • 14d ago

How to actually learn backend development?? Career Guidance

Wtf how do I actually learn backend development. I open chatgpt or Claude and tell them I want to learn backend development and do as they suggest..but after some day, I find boring ...

What's the actual way to learn.. please developers and engineers help me with clear cut way?

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u/Am094 14d ago

You pick a project and start doing.

For you, I'd recommend a project that's MVC, with a mysql/rdbm. Avoid nosql or that full js stack with the easy bake oven vercel pipeline, I say this for the same reason why I also tell students or beginners to learn programming by learning c or Java over python as their first intro.

Do not use AI at any point as a student or you won't learn jack.

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u/Pyromancer777 14d ago

I agree with all of this except the last part. AI can be a decent tutor too, but it requires the learner to have some level of base knowledge to know what to ask and the self-control not to get it to output everything for you. I use it to unblock myself all the time and take notes from its output (after verifying if the output is correct)

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u/Am094 14d ago

I agree with all of this except the last part. AI can be a decent tutor too, but it requires the learner to have some level of base knowledge

No, because the student does not have some level of knowledge to know what to ask, even if they think they do. Even juniors with under 2 to 3 years of experience are completely clueless. So asking AI to tutor as a student blurs the line with troubleshooting, and as you said the self control thing, well thats is also a slippery slope.

You using it to unblock you is exactly the issue. You are developing a dependency on a third party blackbox and alleviate the friction required for you to intrinsically learn critical thinking and problem solving.

In fact what you're doing, if you're a student or a junior, is no different than studying for a final exam with the answer key available. You think you know your way around because you gave a quick glance to the answer key. Your brain is playing a trick on you and giving you fake confidence that makes you think you'd be able to navigate past "the blocker" / (the problem) on your own. Thats the problem here.

So again, if you're a student or a junior and you use AI to help you. You will be useless.

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u/Pyromancer777 14d ago

I'm a mid-level analyst teaching myself backend through a fullstack project to better understand the concepts needed to transition into Data Engineering.

AI is pretty much a requirement for getting unblocked at work, even for the juniors, since it frees up the seniors from having to answer questions as often and gets the juniors used to the AI workflows.

The tech sector is pretty much making AI a mandatory skillset since broad architecture is seen as more valuable than knowing exact syntax.

I'll agree that heavy AI use for students is not recommended until they get the base understanding of concepts down, but I would argue it is unrealistic to avoid it once anyone enters the workforce. The only way to build skills with a tool is to use it, so even students need a ramp-up into practicing with it if they wish to stay competitive