Tips from the Pre-AI Era and the AI-Powered Now

There comes a moment for every developer
when code breaks, nothing makes sense, and even your fingers don’t feel like moving.

How you respond to these moments shapes your pace, mindset, and growth as a builder.

The rise of AI has fundamentally changed how we solve these problems.

Let’s compare: the world before AI—and the world after AI.

Before AI: The Era of Manual Hustle

Back then, coding was a solo sport. No copilots. No GPTs.
If you hit a wall, you had to climb over it—yourself.

Here’s how we used to do it:

1. Google-Fu Was a Skillset

Knowing how to search was a superpower.

Search strings like:

"TypeError: undefined is not a function"

"React fetch data once on load version 16"

"Python pandas groupby apply custom function"

You had to mine Stack Overflow, GitHub Issues, Reddit threads—and hope something vaguely resembled your issue.

2. Debug Like a Detective

You learned to:

• - Print logs

• - Comment out lines

• - Isolate functions

• - Run it again, and again, and again…

You didn't just fix bugs. You hunted them.

3. Ask Humans

Back then, the fastest path to progress was tapping your senior dev.

Offline code reviews, Slack messages, in-person meetups—these were sacred.

You weren’t expected to know everything, but you had to ask.

4. Pen and Paper Diagrams

When everything else failed, you’d sketch your logic on paper:

• - Data flow

• - Function calls

• - Branching conditions

Seeing the problem visually helped unlock mental blocks.

⚡ After AI: The Era of Thinking with Machines

Fast-forward to now—AI is your teammate.

1. Ask GPT, Not Google

You don’t need to perfectly phrase your question anymore.
Just describe what’s going wrong in natural language:

“Why is this React state not updating after API call?”
“This function returns undefined. What could be wrong?”
“How can I cache this API response in Next.js?”

Whether you use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini—they don’t just return links. They give explanations.

2. Let AI Write the Boring Stuff

Need a form?
A CRUD page?
A fetch-and-render flow?

Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cody, and Cursor read your code and fill in the gaps—live, in your editor.

The result? Fewer interruptions. More flow state.

3. Debug with AI as Your Assistant

Paste your logs and error messages into GPT, and it’ll:

• Suggest likely causes

• Recommend fixes

• Even write the corrected code

If you connect it with plugins or test runners, it can even interpret failing tests.

It’s not perfect—but it’s fast enough to keep momentum.

4. Refactor First, Then Fix

Sometimes the problem isn’t the bug—it’s the structure.

In the AI era, asking:

“Can you improve this function’s readability?”
“Is there a better architecture for this pattern?”

...often leads to better long-term solutions than just patching things up.

Timeless Habits (Still Useful in the AI Era)

Despite AI’s magic, some human practices remain essential.

1. Context Switching Saves Code

When you're stuck, step away.

Walk. Shower. Nap. Stretch.

Many developers report solving the problem minutes after they stop thinking about it.
It’s not luck. It’s neuroscience.

2. Write It Down. Explain It Out Loud.

AI helps you generate. But you must understand and own the logic.

If you're blocked, try this:

• - Write what the function should do

• - Describe what it's doing wrong

• - Talk it through—as if explaining to someone else

You’ll often spot the gap in logic before you hit enter.

Final Thought: You’re Not Alone in the Editor Anymore

Before, coding felt like a test. Now, it feels like a conversation.
You can brainstorm with AI, debug with AI, even refactor with AI.

But the decisions—those are still yours.

So when you’re stuck, don’t panic. Try AI. Step away.
Or go old-school with pen and paper.

Whether it’s 2014 or 2024, your next breakthrough might just be one reframing away.