Why You Still Can’t Write Code on Your Own (And How to Fix It for Good)

My Friend Said He Couldn't Write Code Anymore.

(But this isn’t just his story—it’s ours)

A few weeks ago, a friend texted me:

“Bro, I just can’t write code anymore. I watch the courses, I do the tutorials… but when it’s time to build something, I freeze.”

At first, I thought he was exaggerating.
This guy? He’s smart. He’s been grinding through 10-hour playlists, day after day. I’d seen him post screenshots of completed courses on Instagram. Certificates. GitHub streaks. The works.

But then he said something that hit me:

“I’ve finished 4 courses in the last 2 months. But ask me to write even a basic project from scratch—I have no clue where to start.”

And in that moment, I realized something important.

This wasn’t just his story.

It was mine too.
And maybe—just maybe—it’s yours as well.

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The Illusion of Learning

Here’s what most of us do when we start learning to code:

We search for the best course.
We find a 40, 60, sometimes even 100-video playlist.
We make a plan:

“I’ll finish 10 videos per day. I’ll be a full-stack dev in 2 weeks.”

Motivated by YouTube thumbnails saying things like “Become a React Developer in 7 Days,” we dive in headfirst.

And it feels productive.

We’re checking off lessons.
We’re watching lectures at 1.5x speed.
We’re typing along with the instructor.

But here’s what we’re really doing:

We’re watching, not learning.
We’re consuming, not creating.

And deep down, we know it.

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The 8th Video Problem

In my friend's case, it was video 8.

He got stuck.

The instructor moved too fast. The concept didn’t click.

So what did he do?

He clicked “Next.”

Because his goal wasn’t to understand.
His goal was to complete 10 videos that day.

And this is where it gets dangerous:

One small misunderstanding… becomes a gap.
That gap becomes confusion.
That confusion turns into frustration.
And that frustration grows into self-doubt.

By the time you reach the end of the course, you’ve watched everything... and learned almost nothing.

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The Second Time Around

So when my friend sat down to build his own project, it all fell apart.

Variables? Functions? Loops?
It was like seeing them for the first time.

So he did what most of us do:
He went back to the course.

Then came Stack Overflow.
Then ChatGPT.
Then copying code that worked… without knowing why it worked.

He got it running.

But it didn’t feel like his.

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We Don’t Have a Knowledge Problem.

We Have a Depth Problem.

If you’re struggling to code on your own, chances are—you’re not lacking resources.

You’re lacking repetition.
You’re lacking struggle.
You’re lacking deep understanding.

Because watching is easy.
Writing is hard.
Building something from scratch? Even harder.

But that’s where growth happens.

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What I Told My Friend (And What I’d Tell You)

Slow down.

Don’t just watch the video.
Pause it.
Code along.
Break the code.
Fix the code.
Build your own version of it.

If you don’t understand something—watch it again. And again.
Don’t move forward until you can teach it.

Because skipping steps to stay “on schedule”?
That schedule is fake.
There’s no prize for finishing a playlist in 5 days if you can’t build something real after it.

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ChatGPT Isn’t the Problem. The Way We Use It Is.

Using ChatGPT to get unstuck? Great.

But using it as a shortcut to avoid thinking?
That’s where it fails us.

Instead of asking:

“Write this code for me.”

Try asking:

“Explain this code to me like I’m 12.”

Use it to clarify. Not to bypass.

Because real developers don’t just type.
They think.
They solve.
They build.

And that skill only comes from writing code yourself—again and again and again.

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So No—This Isn't Just His Story

It’s mine.
It’s yours.
It’s all of ours.

We’ve all fallen into the trap of passive learning.
We’ve all wanted quick results.
We’ve all felt stuck.

But the way out?
It’s not a better course.
It’s not a faster tutorial.

It’s going slower.
It’s going deeper.
It’s showing up every day to write even when it feels hard.

Because that’s how you stop feeling like a fraud.

That’s how you become a real developer.

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