Reclaim the Joy: How AI Can Make Coding Fun Again

Feeling burnt out on tedious coding tasks? Is the excitement of building software fading? You're not alone. Discover how GenAI tools are revitalizing the development process, making coding fun and boosting productivity. Learn how to use GitHub Copilot efficiently to tackle tedious tasks, allowing you to focus on impactful and interesting work.

The Grind Is Real: Finding Motivation in the Mundane

Many developers experience a decline in motivation over time. The initial spark diminishes as we face repetitive tasks and maintaining legacy code. Wouldn't it be amazing to offload those tedious tasks and focus on the innovation?

GenAI: Your Coding Exoskeleton

GenAI acting as a powerful "exoskeleton" for coding. Tools like GitHub Copilot provide coding assistance, freeing you from the drudgery of boilerplate code. This enables you to focus on creative problem-solving and higher-level architectural decisions.

My Week with Copilot: A Productivity Revolution

I had the opportunity to dive deep into GenAI for coding. Using GitHub Copilot was an eye-opening experience, drastically enhancing my productivity and reigniting my passion for development.

Quick Start: Mastering Copilot's Potential

To maximize the benefits of GitHub Copilot, invest some time in understanding its capabilities. The Udemy course is a great resource to learn about Copilot's different modes (Chat, Inline Comments, Agent) and features. Understanding these modes is crucial for effective collaboration with AI.

Hands-On: Copilot in Action

I decided to use Copilot on my simple web app (wisaw.com) to add a responsive navigation bar with links to "About", "Contact Us", and "Terms and Policies" pages.

Here's how it went:

1. The Prompt: Asked Copilot to "add responsive nav bar with 3 menu items 'About', 'Contact Us', 'Terms and Policies'" in Agent mode.

2. The Result: Copilot navigated my project in real-time, updated the appropriate files, and generated fully functional code in about two minutes!

This level of efficiency transformed a potentially tedious task into a quick and satisfying win.

Copilot then created a basic “About” page, fixed vulnerabilities, and updated the project to the latest dependency versions using Yarn. The agent mode's ability to execute terminal commands and interpret the results was particularly impressive.

More Than Just a Code Generator: Real-World Applications

Copilot helped me update existing NPM modules, like expo-cached-image, to the latest dependencies effortlessly. I even converted expo-storage to TypeScript, a task I personally dislike, without having to write a single line of code myself!

The Numbers Speak: A 100% Productivity Boost

These tasks, which would have taken at least two days to complete manually, were finished in approximately two hours with Copilot's assistance. The productivity boost was phenomenal! This highlights GenAI's potential to streamline workflows and accelerate development cycles.

Addressing the Concerns: Job Security and Code Quality

The rise of GenAI tools raises legitimate concerns about job security and code quality. However, GenAI should be viewed as a partner, not a replacement. Developers are needed to review AI-generated code, ensure its quality, and guide the overall architectural vision.

The Human Touch: Why Authentic Writing Still Matters

While GenAI is invaluable for boilerplate code and documentation, I still believe in the power of human authenticity when it comes to content creation. A human's writing reflects their personality and creativity in a way that AI can't replicate.