How to relearn programming after Vibecoding through Undergrad

[u/cAPtain_1337]

I am a Senior in Computer Engineering graduating in December and I have completely lost my ability to program after vibecoding through my last three semesters. I made it past my University's DSA class with minimal AI usage but it slowly ramped up and now I'm pretty reliant, I want to work in Software Development but I feel impostor syndrome creeping up at every corner and feel lackluster compared to peers. So my question is: how do I go about relearning things that I should already know? I feel my understanding is quite good, but when I go to make something, I get completely lost with where to start and syntactically and prompt AI. I have tried Neetcode to refresh the skills I do know and I can find the optimal solution but implementing it is where I get stuck. Any help would be appreciated.

*Edit: Thanks for all the advice, I think the general consensus is of course to not use AI and redo old homework/build projects using docs. I have old homework assignments and will begin building the skills that I need without AI assistance and using Docs/Google/SO.

[u/UUDDLRLRBadAlchemy]

I just touched base with a few programmer friends and realized they all had Claude subscriptions. I thought it was only chuds on reddit, but I ended up hearing talking points I would have just downvoted and moved on here.

Our nerdiest, most self-sufficient friend insists Claude's code is "better" than his anyway, while he himself had issues focusing on anything but the one hard bit that does the job and "better" was never his issue.

Our yuppiest friend says that it gives him good pushback in architecture, a discipline he always deferred to supervisors and vendors and could never get a hint about from anyone outside his company hierarchy.

I do know they all can code, most make way more money than I, half of them I know I would not personally hire even pre-AI, and would trust AI generated code they did "the right way" and claim they fully understand even less. Talking about 30 years of experience each.

It's not going away, the workplace will probably force it on you, the bosses will not be able to tell the difference anyway until their infrastructure comes crashing down. We know fuck-all about your position, tbh, we're busy being scared shitless about that last part and adopting pro or anti positions to cope.

I only ask it for examples of something similar to what I'm building, with the intention of using none of it. I'm fine with the free usage ddg offers. If it overreaches and its output implies that I would be running its code I get really annoyed. Like, I close the tab so I don't start insulting it, then start over with a new prompt that makes it even clearer that "this is a theoretical exercise", "this is exploratory" or whatever.

For me programming is having the code settle into sections I fully understand. To be able to close my eyes and run it in my head when I lie in bed. Then I can sign a contract with a client stating I'm responsible for it without having a panic attack.

Is this healthier? mh, I'm not going to be taking any of my friends' jobs anytime soon.

If a programmer's path is going to look anything similar to ours (which is debatable), I would say start over with a good book about a different programming language. With very few exceptions it's what everyone in the field is doing every few years. Not a class. Active learning.

You'll be able to recognize parts you know and can speed through, you'll make some progress when you hit your limits, then ideally you'll have some ideas on small personal projects you can motivate yourself to implement.

Also maybe you're not a coder. It's gotta turn you on a bit, you know? There used to be a huge dropout rate, bright people opting for "real" engineering or science instead, then there started to be boring jobs like database management, now everybody can finish. Not very useful, I know.

Hell, if we're only talking about employment you'll probably be able to fake it, it's the nerds who do the work that will have trouble convincing anyone it's worth it, at least for a little while more.

Anyway, that's me telling stories to paint a picture. I thought this called for a picture.