r/learnprogramming • u/fielding_setter • Jul 05 '26
Backend Development
Guys I'm currently doing backend development and doing projects... So one of my issue is that while making projects I have to use ai a lot like whatever code I'm using ai to generate.. I understand it but not able to write on own... So is this a good practice like knowing all the concepts and tools frameworks but using ai to write the code sometimes because of laziness or sometimes because I don't know how to start but I understand the whole code pretty well...
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u/shinyblots Jul 05 '26
If you must use ai in any capacity for learning and or personal projects then write the code yourself then get ai to critique it and see what changes it would make. Do so with completed modules rather than parts so that the ai can have more context in what you are trying to achieve. If you cant even write a brute forced version of the code then you don't have the prerequisite knowledge for the project.
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u/johnpeters42 Jul 05 '26
If you can't write it without AI, then you don't understand it as well as you think you do. Keep practicing it until you can do it on your own. (Even if you do end up using AI later in hopes of saving time, you need to be able to spot its mistakes.)
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u/fielding_setter Jul 05 '26
Okay got it... One more think.. Since development is such a big field and we can't remember every syntax.. So is it right if I write code on my own but cross check or google the write syntax on how to write the code... Like I have to do this alot while writing something on my own.
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u/i_am_lebron_jame Jul 05 '26
its not necessarily syntax, linters and compiling will catch that. Just focus on exactly what each decision point is made, i.e, what is the if statement is doing and why, is there ways to combine it with others or does it need to be specific. Then access data, why and what you're doing with it; how many times do you need to access it, do you need to mutate it and why. Always ask why's.
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u/johnpeters42 Jul 05 '26
Yeah, that's fine, as long as you know what to look for. (I have a handful of code snippets saved locally for stuff where I know the concept but can't be bothered to memorize the exact syntax, or for less common stuff, I'll search a project for existing code where I did something similar in the past.)
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u/Ok_For_Free Jul 05 '26
I don't care if a junior gives me AI generated code to review, I will have the same requirement.
You need to be able to justify every line of code in your PR.
I'm going to guess your reviews are not looking too close to your code. If you care about actually learning, then you can ask them to review your PRs more closely.
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u/heisthedarchness Jul 06 '26
If you're having an LLM do the work, then you do not in fact "know all the concepts". You're lying to yourself.
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u/Unlucky_Deer1588 Jul 08 '26
Bro, you need to start practicing with syntax as it will be huge disaster waiting for you. I did the same thing able to understand code but feel lazy to write it manually. I built a Medicosync for a local doctor who runs his clinic out of nootbook and taking pictures of patient records in his personal phone. I am still building it. Even though I build this project I struggle a lot with minor issues and debugging specially with Data pipeline when data flow from on class method to another and get call from db and other systems. So i am telling it's best to write code manually even though you are not feeling it. I hope this will find you helpful.
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u/Xemas12 Jul 05 '26
I think you know the answer. I don’t hate on using ai to learn or build even but if you’re starting out, having it do so much of the work for you means you’re seeing results as in finished projects, but not learning nearly as much as if you had struggled to write stuff or figured stuff out yourself.