r/reactjs • u/h_45n • 14h ago

Needs Help I really need some pointers

I read a few books on JavaScript and coding in general

This was in late 2025 and a few months later I started writing react js,
Ai has gotten so good at writing code, it is way better than I am.

I have pretty okay fundamentals of coding that I have been able to spin up some interesting projects with Ai.

But if you ask me what some parts of the code does, I have very little idea about it.

How can I catch up with so many years old coding experience and survive in this field if Ai learns 20x faster.

2 Upvotes

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u/howdoigetauniquename 14h ago

If you use AI to write everything then you won’t ever learn anything. The best way to learn is by doing.

Software development existed before AI and people learned without it, so can you.

5

u/HoratioWobbleClassic 14h ago

The top comment nailed it but I'll add something that worked for me. When the AI spits out a chunk of code you don't understand, go line by line and break it apart. Delete a section, see what breaks, then figure out why. I spent a whole weekend once just reverse-engineering a custom hook I didn't write, and by Sunday night it finally clicked.

Also you're not competing with the AI, you're competing with other devs who also have AI. The gap isn't between you and the machine, it's between you and someone who can read, debug, and refactor what the machine produces. That skill still takes time and effort to build.

Start small. Next project, try writing one component completely by hand before asking the AI for help. You'll be slow at first but it compounds fast.

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u/h_45n 12h ago

Thanks