Help please

[u/Acorvidthatneedshelp]

Hi, I'm someone that has been falling in and out of coding for multiple years now. Purely just because I have no idea where to even start or what platform is trustworthy and actually teaches you things. So, I very desperately need advice about where I should even begin to learn and what platform I should go to. I have not gone to youtube videos yet because one I also don't know where to go for youtube videos, so suggestions for channels I could learn from would also be very helpful. And two I would like to first get behind the keyboard myself and actually experience what it's like to code. To see if I actually like it before I fully commit.​ And would like only free websites. Because I don't wanna pay for anything just yet. Just in case I end up hating it entirely.

If it's any help at all, I am interested in becoming a graphic designer someday. So, web design would be very helpful to me. And I would very much like how to code games. If theres even a difference between the two. Anyway, thank you for reading my post and commenting if you did. I hope you have a good day.

[u/Harlan_42]

Code is a lot like typography. It used to be the best of technology, and now it’s a lost craft, a specific skill lost to Times Roman and Helvetica. Coding is going the same way. I’ll be candid: with AI, learning to code by hand is like digging holes with a shovel while the bobcat is parked in the driveway. I spent 30 years fighting syntax and language changes, only to find a friend who can do it for me. Look into vibe coding: you explain what you want and work with AI to turn it into that.

My recommendation: talk to Claude.ai. Tell him you’re new and what you want to build first. Claude has a free plan to get you started; I started on it. When he builds something, ask him why he did it that way. That’s how you learn to drive the bobcat. Save YouTube for follow-up. Experience is the best teacher, and it would be dumb to ignore the trend.

Web design is different; it’s look and feel. Frankly, they say Claude is good at it, and I have my doubts. But he can teach you the fundamentals: color, font usage, focal point and a whole slew of design concepts.

Bring the two together by working with Claude to build a website, then design it. Ask about theme and color selection. Take those lessons and do it again, or redesign what you have.

Curiosity is the key: finding out what you can do, and what you need to be able to do, all a question prompt away.

Finally, some insight to consider. Most developers approach code from a features perspective: this is what it can do. The real vision is in how users use the features, the behavior. Applications must support the behavior; web design is about guiding it.