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Thanks for the advice, I mean it without irony. But I think if you know how to code well you can use code generators, whereas if you know how to use code gener

Thanks for the advice, I mean it without irony. But I think if you know how to code well you can use code generators, whereas if you know how to use code generators you don't necessarily learn how to code. And being able to review generated code stems from mastering code, not from fiddling with prompts. More generally, I think the premise that using code generators is a skill is empty. They don't require special skill beyond understanding programming well so it is probably a better use of my time to keep on coding and if someone wants to give me money to use code generators I am in a better position having spent lots of time writing code. And if code generators become so good that it requires no skill to create software, then all this is moot. But of course I think that is nonsense because it seems to me that depends on the foundations of computer science being wrong.

fragmede 2y ago
Hm, that's fair. I suppose I should be more transparent as to my bias. I learned to program as the Internet was coming online and before Google, Stack Overflow, and now, ChatGPT. Not trying to brag, merely trying to show that I know how to code. I can't say how I'd actually feel if I was just starting out, but your position isn't unreasonable. I will disagree and say there is a certain skill to prompting, even though calling prompt engineering is maybe ridiculous. Given the way the industry is trending, getting code generators into a corner; having it run around in circles, and then having in skill to fix it by hand, quickly, is the skill to hone. Whether that comes from practicing writing code from scratch, or from using code generation and then fixing the bugs it creates though, is up for debate. I obviously think the latter but that's just a random person who's not in your shoes' opinion. Best of luck to you in your career! Hopefully it goes well, no matter which direction it takes.

fragmede 2y ago

Hm, that's fair. I suppose I should be more transparent as to my bias. I learned to program as the Internet was coming online and before Google, Stack Overflow, and now, ChatGPT. Not trying to brag, merely trying to show that I know how to code. I can't say how I'd actually feel if I was just starting out, but your position isn't unreasonable. I will disagree and say there is a certain skill to prompting, even though calling prompt engineering is maybe ridiculous. Given the way the industry is trending, getting code generators into a corner; having it run around in circles, and then having in skill to fix it by hand, quickly, is the skill to hone. Whether that comes from practicing writing code from scratch, or from using code generation and then fixing the bugs it creates though, is up for debate. I obviously think the latter but that's just a random person who's not in your shoes' opinion. Best of luck to you in your career! Hopefully it goes well, no matter which direction it takes.