>> and still largely understand the code [...] ,that, I feel has made me a better engineer
the cynic in me would say that a good engineer should fully understand the code you write.
I'm not suggesting that AI is the problem here - you could vibe code with the AI have have it explain the reasoning and patterns - or else tell it to use 'simpler' patterns from the outset. For any one problem in software engineering, there are always multiple solutions; some slower, some faster, some more flexible etc. The code you produce should, imo, but at the level that you can understand it.
How can you reason about code you don't fully understand? How can you judge the future impact (technical debt and the cost of maintenance) of your projects?
A.I makes it easier to get yourself into problems early on.
the cynic in me would say that a good engineer should fully understand the code you write.
I'm not suggesting that AI is the problem here - you could vibe code with the AI have have it explain the reasoning and patterns - or else tell it to use 'simpler' patterns from the outset. For any one problem in software engineering, there are always multiple solutions; some slower, some faster, some more flexible etc. The code you produce should, imo, but at the level that you can understand it.
How can you reason about code you don't fully understand? How can you judge the future impact (technical debt and the cost of maintenance) of your projects?
A.I makes it easier to get yourself into problems early on.