The best way to learn coding today is the same way you learn any new skill: you start doing it before you understand everything.
Let me explain.
Learning to code today is like learning golf — you learn while you swing
My family recently started golf lessons.
We got a coach.
He didn’t start with golf theory.
He didn’t overwhelm us with the history of the sport or 100 rules.
He handed us the club and said:
“Hit the ball.”
Only after we swung did he show us:
- the grip
- the stance
- the angle
- the adjustments each of us needed
And here’s the key part:
He taught each person differently because we were producing different outputs.
The kids were doing one thing wrong.
My husband was doing something else wrong.
And I needed a totally different correction.
We didn’t learn everything upfront.
We learned the next concept when we needed it.
That’s exactly what coding looks like in an AI world.
Each project teaches you something new — because each output is different
Your project will not fail in the same way as someone else’s.
Even your next project won’t fail in the same way as your last one.
Sometimes the AI nails it.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
Sometimes it works perfectly for Project A and falls apart for Project B.
That’s normal.
Your job is not to predict every possible issue.
Your job is to adapt — the same way my golf coach adapted to each swing.
You don’t start by mastering everything.
You start with the one thing you want to see working.
My mobile app experiment: proof that you learn by doing, not preparing
I had never built a mobile app.
In the past, the setup alone was enough to kill my excitement:
SDKs, emulators, environment variables — the whole thing felt impossible.
But in the AI world, I decided to try again.
First problem?
I couldn’t decide: React Native or Flutter.
I watched some YouTube videos.
Still couldn’t decide.
So I did the AI-era solution:
I tested both.
I opened Claude Code, opened two terminals, gave both the same prompt, and hit enter.
Was it perfect?
Of course not.
Errors everywhere.
But I wasn’t discouraged — because I’m an AI coder.
Errors are expected.
One issue: the AI was building the React Native app in production mode instead of Expo Go mode.
A year ago, that would’ve ended the journey for me.
Now…
I didn’t magically understand what the errors meant.
I didn’t suddenly become an expert in React Native or Flutter in a day.
What actually happened is what you will do too:
I copied and pasted every error message into the AI
And boom — app on screen.
Flutter had different issues.
Ai fixed those too.
Still couldn’t decide which one I liked…
So I built two more apps — one in each language.
Four apps in one day.
Not because I’m a professional.
But because AI handled the heavy lifting and I handled the adjustments.
The lesson: you learn by building, not by studying
If I had tried the traditional path:
- I would’ve bought multiple courses
- Spent weeks learning theory
- And still wouldn’t have built the actual idea in my head
This is why so many beginners stay stuck.
AI removes that barrier.
You no longer have to “earn the right” to build your idea.
You can build your idea first — and learn what you need along the way.
Just like golf.
The simple learning loop
This is the modern method:
Prompt → Build → Test → Improve → Repeat
That’s it.
Small loops.
Quick wins.
Fast feedback.
Your confidence grows because you can see progress on screen — not after 40 hours of lectures.
Pick tools based on your current skill — or test them all
If you don’t know what tool to start with:
- Claude (artifacts)
- Lovable
- GPT’s coding mode
- Claude Code if you want full control
Or take one day and test them all.
You’ll know exactly which one feels natural.
Read the output — your communication will improve instantly
This is the part most people skip.
When the AI writes code:
- Look at the words it uses
- Notice how it describes components
- Pay attention to the structure
- See what it repeats
This helps you communicate better on your next prompt.
You’re basically learning the “language” the AI listens to.
What to build when you’re new
Two options:
Option 1: Build your own small idea
You already know what the app should do.
Your job is just to communicate that clearly.
Option 2: Clone an app you already use
Because you know how it’s supposed to behave.
That makes testing easy.
Both work.
Both teach you faster than any course.
The takeaway
Learning to code in an AI world is simple:
Start swinging.
Fix the output.
Learn the concept only when you need it.
Let the AI do the heavy lifting.
Repeat until something works.
Just like golf, your skill grows with every swing — not with every chapter you read.
