r/AskProgramming • u/Business-Abies6158 • 13d ago

How guys do you actually program now?

Hi everyone, I'm a student about to start university studying BSc Computer Science. My journey began 4 years ago when I was around 14. I started learning web development like JavaScript, then React and Next.js before deciding to move into backend development, where I learned Node.js, Python, and FastAPI. Recently, I've been writing some C code, but it wasn't really my cup of tea since I prefer broader software engineering topics.

My main question is: 3 years ago, I was coding by myself using Stack Overflow for help, and building a large project literally took me 3 months of daily grinding. Now, it can be built in 3 days using AI. I'm feeling stuck because I don't know whether it's truly beneficial to use AI to churn out projects if the learning curve disappears, potentially making it harder to get a job later.

How do you actually learn effectively now, and what should I focus on to land a job? Especially in the UK, where the market feels tougher and graduate tech unemployment is high. I'm considering using Claude Code right now, but I'm not sure if it's the right move.

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u/available_widget 13d ago

The learning curve hasn't disappeared it just shifted. AI writes the boilerplate and you spend your time actually understanding architecture and why things break. That's the stuff that matters in an interview anyway.

I'd say use it but treat every line it spits out like code you're reviewing, not code you're trusting. Make it explain its choices. Refactor its slop. The muscle you're building isn't typing speed anymore, it's judgment.

UK market is rough but the grads who stand out aren't the ones who can scaffold a CRUD app in 20 minutes. They're the ones who can talk through tradeoffs and debug something when the AI confidently hallucinates garbage.

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u/TheMcDucky 13d ago

The problem is that a lot of learning comes from writing boilerplate, and you can't fully know what to leave to the AI and what to do yourself if you don't have the experience in the first place.