Young developer, stop using ChatGPT instead use your brain sometimes
In recent months, I’ve noticed a troubling trend: the quality of code produced by interns and apprentices is deteriorating rapidly. Whether it’s application code or infrastructure code, a quick look under the hood reveals glaring inconsistencies. At first glance, everything seems to work, but a closer inspection shows a chaotic mix of illogical practices.
It reminds me of a car: at 30 km/h, it runs smoothly and feels in control. But as soon as you push it to 90 km/h, it crashes. Code generated without much thought — often with tools like ChatGPT — behaves in the same way: it works until it’s tested under real pressure or needs to evolve, and then it falls apart.
If you’re a young developer, here are 5 tips to help you regain control and code intelligently, instead of blindly relying on AI-generated snippets that may seem to work, but lack proper logic.
1. Understand before you write
Before asking an AI for a solution, take the time to understand the problem. Ask yourself: What is the objective? What are the constraints I need to follow? AI can assist you, but it doesn’t always understand the business or technical context as well as you do.
2. Break down the generated code
Never copy-paste code without analyzing it. Review every line and make sure you know what it does. Code you don’t understand today will inevitably become a bug tomorrow. Be critical: Is this necessary? Is it optimized?
3. Master the Fundamentals
AI can be a great assistant, but your expertise should come first. Make sure to master algorithms, architectural concepts, and best coding practices. These solid foundations will help you recognize good code from a patchwork solution.
4. Stress-test your code
Code works fine until it’s pushed to its limits. Like a car, it’s crucial to test your code under real-world conditions: Can it handle high traffic? What happens if a component fails? This is how you catch issues before they become costly.
5. Develop critical thinking and creativity
AI tools like ChatGPT are no substitute for your critical thinking and creativity. Approach coding with the mindset that things can always be improved, optimized, and solved more elegantly. Your goal is to build durable solutions, not just something that works temporarily.
In Conclusion:
AI is a fantastic tool, but it’s just a complement to your thinking. As a developer, your job isn’t just to produce code that “works” on the surface but to design logical, scalable, and robust solutions. So, before asking ChatGPT or another AI to fill in a missing piece of code, take a moment to reflect: Does this solution make sense? Do I really understand what I’m doing?
The key to success in development is to use your brain as much as your keyboard. No AI will ever replace human logic, especially when it comes to building code that withstands time and real-world challenges.
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I’m Hervé-Gaël KOUAMO, Founder and CTO at HK-TECH, a French tech company specializing in designing, building, and optimizing applications. We also assist businesses throughout their cloud migration journey, ensuring seamless transitions and maximizing their digital potential. You can follow me on LinkedIn (I post mostly in French there): https://www.linkedin.com/in/herv%C3%A9-ga%C3%ABl-kouamo-157633197/
