Warning: Skipping debugging practice when learning to code

Faith Roberts · 2026-02-28T15:20:32.486797+00:00

Some beginners avoid debugging because it's frustrating and just copy code from tutorials. But others say fixing your own mistakes is how you really learn. What do you think is better?

leoyoung7mo ago

Totally! I'm with @willowp75 on this one. That moment you finally fix a weird bug is when the concept really locks in for me, way more than just copying code.

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willowp757mo ago

Debugging is where you actually learn how to think like a programmer, not just write syntax. It forces you to understand why something broke, which is way more useful long term lol. Plus getting good at reading error messages helps you fix other people's messy code later.

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chen.jenny7mo ago

Depends how stuck you get honestly. Some errors just waste hours where you could be learning new stuff instead. Watching a fixed version work sometimes clicks faster than banging your head against a broken one.

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