I used to think the hardest part of coding was figuring out logic.
Now I think the hardest part is knowing if you’ve actually learned anything.

We’re in an era where you can build a full-stack app in a weekend with AI prompts and GitHub Copilot.
It looks impressive. It might even land you an interview.
But ask yourself this: Can you explain how it works without opening ChatGPT again?

We All Start With Vibes

I’m not judging. I did the same.
Back then, it was Stack Overflow, not ChatGPT — but it was still vibe coding.

• Copy a snippet. Paste it. Tweak it. Pray.
• Log everything. Hope it runs.
• If it fails? Start over. Different vibe.

But the difference was: we didn’t have a safety net.
We had to figure it out. That pain built the skill.

Now? We’ve got AI tools that can generate entire functions — and we’re getting lazy.
We’re debugging prompts instead of debugging logic.

When “Productivity” Creates Fragility
I’ve seen this across real dev teams:

• AI code that passes staging, but breaks under scale
• QA teams stuck cleaning up fragile automation logic
• Devs who can ship fast, but freeze when asked “why?”

Vibe coding isn’t new.
But when you stop growing and start relying, it becomes a crutch.

This Isn’t Anti-AI — It’s Pro-Mastery
Use AI. Prompt your way into new projects. Bootstrap all you want.

Just don’t mistake momentum for mastery.
Don’t confuse shipping with understanding.

Vibe coding should be the entry point.
Not the entire journey.

🔗 Read the full piece on EngineeredAI.net