i've always loved side projects, they're the best way to get that satisfaction of learning and building something cool. back in the day, i used to build projects on my own, coding late nights, debugging for hours, and feeling like i was learning at an exceptional level. it was all hands-on, and i loved the grind. but lately, things changed.
i started using cursor a lot, especially since i couldn't afford the paid plan at first, but once i did, it became my go-to. it made coding feel so easy, but then i noticed something: i wasn't learning as much. this hit home during my last couple of technical interviews, where i couldn't solve simple problems. that's when i knew i had to make a change.
it started with a few bad interviews. i couldn't solve simple coding problems, which surprised me since i used to feel confident. the problem wasn't that i didn't know the concepts—it was that i relied on cursor too much. it did most of the work, so i hadn't practiced thinking through problems. in interviews, with no ai to help, i got stuck. that showed me i needed a change.
why did i use cursor so much? it made coding quick and easy. cursor has ai that writes code, fixes errors, and suggests ideas, all in a nice editor. when i couldn't afford paid tools, i built side projects the hard way and learned a lot. cursor changed that—it helped me finish projects faster and skip boring tasks. for a while, it felt like a great tool.
but there was a catch. the more i used cursor, the less i coded myself. it fixed bugs before i could think. it wrote logic i didn't fully get. i wasn't learning or growing as a developer. my interview struggles proved i had to go back to basics.
after those interview fails, i switched back to vscode. it was a deliberate choice to make coding harder. i wanted to feel that struggle again, to think through problems and build solutions myself. vscode doesn't have built-in ai, so i had to write all the code myself, debug my own errors, and learn from my mistakes. it was frustrating at first, but that's the point—i needed to rebuild those problem-solving muscles.
the first week was rough. i was slower, made more mistakes, and spent hours debugging. but by week two, i noticed something: i was thinking more clearly about my code. i was learning again, building that confidence back. i wasn't just copying ai suggestions—i was coding.
i still think ai tools are helpful, but i'm more careful. here's my plan:
this keeps me in control. i can use ai but still learn.
ai tools like cursor make coding faster, but they can slow your growth if you rely on them too much. switching to vscode got me back to hands-on coding after my interview troubles. it's harder, but i'm learning again, and that feels right. i'm working on using ai wisely while keeping my skills strong.
coding is about solving problems and growing. ai can help, but don't let it do everything.
don't automate the fun stuff.
until then,
siddharth
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