Key Takeaways ChatGPT can serve as a one-on-one coding tutor, helping with debugging and explaining concepts directly. You can learn fundamental coding concepts like control flow and algorithms to build solid programming skills. However, use ChatGPT's guidance wisely: ask specific questions, practice hands-on, verify info, and don't rely solely on it.
Want to learn coding without endless tutorials or costly courses? You might be tempted to skip the grind by using ChatGPT as your tutor. While it can assist in gaining development skills, there are a few things to know.
The Search for a Coding Tutor
As someone who's coded an entire game using ChatGPT as a tool, I realized there are a lot of things it can do, and a few things it can't. One of the questions that lurked around my thoughts while doing that project: is it possible to practically learn to code with ChatGPT? It turns out that it's a lot easier than I initially thought.
The downside of many tutorials is that you don't actually have a one-on-one teacher addressing your problems. Some platforms like Udemy have rooms attached to tutorials where you can ask for help from the instructors directly, but the lag-time for some of these could be hours. They may be inconvenient if you only have an hour a day to dedicate to learning to code.
ChatGPT makes it easier by offering one-on-one direct chats, and allowing you to experience live debugging of code; you get to see what a problem is in real-time and how ChatGPT fixes it. Moreover, if you see something you don't understand, you can always ask ChatGPT for an explanation. Learning how to ask questions is one of the most important learning functions.
Learn to Code With ChatGPT the Right Way
When I learned to code, we used a language called Pascal, and we learned the concepts behind what we were doing. Today, you don't have to worry about blast-from-the-past languages like that to learn how to code. With ChatGPT, you can figure out almost any language you want to.
Now, the elephant in the room is the fact that ChatGPT can write all the code for you, so why not just ask it for a solution and copy-paste it into your IDE? The truth is that your code from ChatGPT is only likely to work half the time. The other half the time you'll have to debug it. If you start relying on ChatGPT to debug it for you, you'll risk ending up in an endless loop of ever-increasing problems with no solutions in sight.
Most seasoned programmers will tell you that fundamental concepts (first-principles) are how you build good programming practice. ChatGPT is good at teaching fundamentals, and doing so in a way that's easy to understand. Among the core concepts that you can learn from ChatGPT include:
Input and output Control flow (conditional statements) Functions and Depedencies Data structures (types, classes, structs, etc.) Object-oriented programming vs. Top-down programming Algorithms and Logic File-Handling Version Control Debugging and Testing Building Projects
This could be a solid syllabus to go from knowing nothing about programming to being able to create some projects on your own that you can show off to potential clients or employers.
There is a caveat to be aware of, though. While ChatGPT can give you the fundamentals and even suggest some projects, it's very important that you don't become dependent on it to help with your debugging. The best way to avoid this is to debug a particular project all on your own.
Go through the steps of finding the error, isolating it, and finding a solution on your own. The more you do it, the more confident you get and the less dependent you are on AI for debugging your code.
Best-Practices for Learning to Code with ChatGPT
If you decide to learn to code with ChatGPT or improve your coding prowess with it, there are a few things that can speed up your learning process and make it less frustrating for you as a student.
The first thing to remember is that ChatGPT works best as a coding tutor when you're more concise with your questions. So, instead of asking it, "How do I code X?" consider asking it "How do I write a function to find the average of ten numbers in Python?" Ask it to expand on its process too, so you can see why it made the decisions it made.
Second, don't rush past the fundamentals stage, since every project you build going forward will focus on those fundamentals. One of the most important questions you have in your arsenal is "Why?" Don't be afraid to use it with ChatGPT. Ask it, "Why did you choose to do this task in this way?" and learn from the answers you get.
Ask for examples and be specific about it. If you're learning Rust, for example, ask it for specific examples in Rust. "How do I write a for-loop in Rust?" is far better than just asking it about for-loops. You might get some relevant background information, but you won't learn to code a for-loop in Rust that way.
Finally, iterate on your projects. For example, you could start off with a basic dice roll simulator, like I did, and slowly make that sim more complicated, adding things like increasing the dice roll size, or a function that allows you to share rolls to a DM secretly or everyone publicly. You could potentially develop something that's very useful, built on these basic building blocks and the beginner projects you started.
Advice for Coders
ChatGPT is no more or less than a tool, and here are a few things to keep in mind when using it:
Break Down Questions: If something isn't clear, split it into smaller parts for more focused help. Verify Information: Double-check ChatGPT's advice against trusted resources like documentation or forums. Practice Hands-On: Use the provided examples as a guide, but type and test the code yourself. Request Learning Paths: Ask for step-by-step learning plans tailored to your level and goals. Don't Copy Without Understanding: Avoid blindly copying code. Always ask for explanations. Don't Rely Exclusively: Complement ChatGPT's guidance with books, tutorials, and practice problems. Don't Expect Perfection: ChatGPT may provide incomplete or incorrect answers -- always cross-reference. Don't Skip Practice: Coding, like math, is a skill learned through doing, not just reading answers. Take It Slow and Build Your Competency
Learning to code isn't a sprint; it's a marathon. Whether it's as a hobby or professionally, it's more about what you know how to do. ChatGPT offers a great way to learn the basics of a language, but there are a lot of things to be wary of, including falling prey to copy-pasting code. However, if you want to learn, and have some time to dedicate to it, you won't find a more responsive or patient tutor than ChatGPT.
