๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ข๐ณ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
I loved coding in my free time. I built things. I broke things. I tried random ideas.
Then I became a professional developer.
Work changed everything. 40 hours a week became stress. Commutes and late night fixes took over. Opening a code editor after work felt like unpaid overtime.
Coding became about stress. It stopped being about curiosity. I stopped wanting to type code after a long day.
Vibe coding changed this.
I stopped typing every line. I became the architect.
- I define the product
- I set the constraints
- I pick the tech stack
I outsource the typing. I keep the thinking.
This brought the fun back. I no longer feel like I am doing my day job at night. I decide what is acceptable. I throw away bad work. I set the rules for security and performance.
I know what messy code looks like. I know the cost of bad decisions. I treat AI like a fast junior developer.
I give detailed instructions. I break tasks down. I review the results. I test the product.
I built KoalaSync this way. It is an open source watch party extension.
- Syncs video playback
- Supports Emby, Jellyfin, and Plex
- No accounts or tracking
I did not write a single line of code by hand.
I stayed in the role of product owner. I know the backend architecture. I know the frontend structure. I simply did not type it.
Frontend work used to drain me. CSS tweaks and UI adjustments were boring. Now I describe the design and review the output.
I still learn. I ask why decisions happen. I review the architecture. I learn by directing, not by typing.
I want to design. I want to shape and polish. I want to turn ideas into tools.
Does AI make side projects more fun for you? Or is it only more tooling?
Is a project still yours if you design everything but type nothing?