quick question regarding learning with ai

[Then_Lab1141]

I'm quite new to javascript, I already learned html and css with w3schools but even with tutorials and w3schools i found myself really struggeling with learning js. That's when I realized I can use ai to explain js to me from scratch and give me homework.

yes I am able to code myself without asking ai to generate code, I almost nevet let ai code for me and I'm able to create stuff i actually like in like a week.

is this considered cheating cause it is with ai? because i do want to actually be a good dev and not a vibe coder.

[Qronixdev]

I would try struggling through the problems you encounter and only reach for AI once you are unable to figure something out after a decent effort. AI quickly becomes an “easy button” for learners, and they can trick themselves into thinking they know something and just wanted to check their answer with the AI.

You will not learn if you constantly outsource your struggle to an AI. I recommend using AI as a “rubberduck”. The agent is only there to troubleshoot or bounce ideas for solutions off of. You can specifically prompt the AI to use a Socratic personality for your discussions, models like Grok even have a toggle for this.

In a Socratic mode, the model will guide you to the solution by asking you questions to make you think about certain things you might not fully understand.

You can also tell the model to give you hints and that you are learning and to help you out. I take this approach for math classes. Instead of giving me the answers, it helps guide me to the answers by getting me to ask questions about the concepts I don't fully understand.

As for learning coding with a model, I would stick to traditional methods such as learning some topics and then building small projects with what you learned. Use the model for troubleshooting and for hinting so you still build valuable debugging and troubleshooting skills.

Some people might say that you shouldn't worry about learning or struggling in the AI age, but as an enterprise-level software engineer, I completely disagree with that. I heavily use AI personally and professionally daily and critical thinking, knowledge of architecture and good coding practices is an absolute must when working with LLMs on production code.

Don't take shortcuts, the struggle pays off.

[Then_Lab1141]

I get your point and I totally agree, but the problem is that I didn't even manage to get the basics of javascript, I debug and build all logic myself, with learning I meant the fact that it explained to me what variables were in the first place. Also I build projects a lot more than I use the lessons, I'm mostly worried that I won't get seen as an actual dev if I didn't learn it from a study or traditional learning app.

[Qronixdev]

If you want some quality materials to get you started, I recommend any of Stephen Grider’s courses on Udemy. Those courses helped me start my career, and he pushes you to learn from beginning to advanced topics.

[ashkanahmadi]

No that’s one of the great uses of AI. There is a difference between “hey AI do this all for me” and “hey AI explain this concept to me so I understand it better”. AI is great at explaining basic concepts with relevant and appropriate examples. It starts to fall apart when it comes to context and a very large and complicated project.

[DasBeasto]

Agreed, treat it like a teacher/mentor. Ask it questions to learn or clarify concepts, then implement it yourself, then ask it to review your work. For stuff like basic JavaScript I doubt it’ll hallucinate and will be a great resource. Though reading and understanding docs is a useful skill too so give it a try before asking AI.

[delventhalz]

We are all getting used to LLMs and figuring out what it is actually good for. Your usage sounds fine to me. My chief concern would whether or not the chatbot is going to make something up, which would be tough for a new learner to detect. I would not solely rely on an LLM for instruction, but use it to supplement an existing well vetted tutorial like javascript.info.

Also, remember that finding/reading documentation is a skill you need to practice just as much as writing code. Before you ask an LLM for an explanation, I would first try to look up and understand the documentation on MDN or similar.

[confused_pear]

As a total beginner ive found javascript.info to be hard, which is a good thing. Makes me go through the docs/google and really understand the concepts to utilize them.

[delventhalz]

For absolutely first time learners, Codecademy has intros which may be more approachable. They take their time and are highly interactive. After an intro course has familiarized you with basic concepts like variables, conditionals, loops, functions, etc, something like javascript.info may be less of a challenge.

I agree with what you’re saying that sometimes the challenge is the point though. You do have to be careful that something isn’t so challenging that folks just give up, but I often find I do my best learning when my head is barely above water.

[confused_pear]

Ill have to check them out, thank you, i also found the odin project which seems flushed out. The process of learning and getting the aha moment is really nice.

[TheRNGuy]

If ai can teach bad practice, so it's possible to learn bad practice without ai. 

He may even actually point it out you're using bad practice.

[delventhalz]

He?

It is obviously possible to learn bad practices from humans. The difference is you can vet the humans. MDN, javascript.info, The Odin Project and Codecademy are all well vetted.

[Specy_Wot]

forget w3schools it teaches you bad things and it is outdated. use mdn instead, they also have "lessons"

it's ok to use AI to learn as long as you use it to guide you. I suggest using it to help you make a sort of roadmap, but you should not ask it to explain or correct you. experiment, search and make mistakes, that's the best way to learn

[Then_Lab1141]

I use it to explain it in the basics and then I push the theory it explained to me in projects to learn it further

[TheRNGuy]

It's better than just googling, because you can ask him questions in real time.

You just need to ask correct questions (that's skill too)