While choosing what to study tonight, I decided to go back to learning Python and Go on Boot.Dev. Its been some weeks since I last did a bit of python, so I was trying to remember how to do things and was asked a tricky question on one of the code challenges.
Instead of just clicking hint, I decided to use the AI chat bot “boots” for the first time ever. Three things stood out to me.
- My first question was asking for a hint. “Can you give me a hint on this assignment.” This was helpful but I was still confused so I asked for another hint. This time it responded with contextual hint regarding what was in the code. After four attempts, I finally gave Boots a correct answer to a specific question from the initial hint. It was patient and gave me confidence.
- I felt like it was a person siting right next to me. I have never felt this supported writing code and learning from my mistakes. This was a first in my entire 10+ years of trying to learn code.
- After I was walked though the question and I finally came to the correct answer, I thanked the AI for the help and said that I didn’t feel so dumb. With that it replied: “You’re very welcome! But remember, asking questions doesn’t make you dumb, it makes you a dedicated student. Learning includes asking, stumbling, and growing, it’s all part of the journey. Feel free to return anytime you need help or even if you just want to chat about coding, salmon, or magical spells. Keep up your awesome work!” I felt seen.
This one interaction with an AI made me feel so good. I am so happy to not have shame relying on a AI when learning how to write python.