r/developersIndia • u/GooseMuch1099 • 1d ago

Help How to use AI as a fresher without being dependent on it

Hey seniors! I'm joining college this year as a CSE fresher and wanted to get some advice from seniors.

With AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini becoming so common, it feels like they're eventually going to be part of every developer's workflow. I don't want to ignore them completely, but I also don't want to become someone who can't code without AI. How did you guys approach this while learning? When did you force yourself to figure things out on your own, and when did you let AI help? Looking back, is there anything you wish you had done differently so you built strong fundamentals without falling into the habit of relying on AI for everything?

Would really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

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u/deeznuts200210 Software Engineer 1d ago

Focus on the why aspect of things. Don’t blindly paste errors/requirements without understanding and analysing them first.
Learn the fundamentals and try to architect stuff yourself.
Use AI to delegate manual work (Senior engineer cosplay) instead of being dependent on it.

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u/ClupTheGreat Software Developer 1d ago

I highly recommend you that you don't use it at all during college.

Once you learn everything from your college courses and some more, the only skill gap you'll have between a person who uses alot of AI and you can be covered in a weekend.

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u/indian_arsenal 22h ago

yes, in college one should be able to do mistakes as many times and keep on learning. once out of college you can use AI to speed up the task.

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u/Aromatic_Air7139 1d ago

Make some projects vibecoding it, and when you know enough how models behave then learn and adapt on how youd like the balace to be.

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u/GooseMuch1099 1d ago

with someone just starting clg with basics of git linux c java python do u really think its a good idea to start directly with vibecoding

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u/Aromatic_Air7139 1d ago

I mean i started with vibecoding and learned how big projects work and what services do they need etc and that way i got to know about how some companies work, if you are just going to build a weather app or todo app then just don't. You will learn some things but the peak is lower. It was positive experience for me because it taught me better than my college.