Hello!
Like many people here, I am not unfamiliar with coding. I even have a computer science degree, but I have never actually worked in a production environment.
Over the past few weeks, I have been working on yet another one of my projects. The difference now is that, with the help of AI, “small enough” projects actually feel reachable. They do not have to become just another idea thrown into the bin.
That said, the project itself was not simple enough to be completed with a few prompts. It required proper research, careful planning, and many days of work.
At first, I tried to shortcut the research phase and relied too much on AI to do the work for me. The result was a lot of wasted time and money, but I also learned a lot in the process.
Bottom line: after many failed attempts, I realized that I could not ask for something I did not fully understand. So I finally started doing the research myself. Once I understood the full scope of the problem, using AI became much more useful.
Lesson learned: AI is a powerful tool. It can absolutely help you get the job done. But it will give you what you asked for, not necessarily what you actually need, unless you understand what you are trying to build.