How to Be Less Afraid: What My Weekend Coding Class Surprised me about Growth
- Jael Chng
- Sep 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 5
Fourteen and a half hours. That's how long it took me to build my first functioning app during Code with AI's hands on vibe coding workshop. But honestly? The real victory wasn't the app only. It was also learning how to learn with self-compassion and clarity. It was about being less afraid.
I used to be more scared (than I'd like to admit) about AI until I took the plunge and joined Daan's Lead with AI course. When Sherry Jiang and Agrim spoke at the Super AI conference, I was simply glad I wasn't completely blur. I could understand what "context window", "tokens" mean and quietly smiled to myself and thanked Daan.
This foundation gave me the confidence to join the vibe coding workshop. I knew I will be jumping into the deep end and was nervous. But... I wanted to be less afraid of AI.
How I Became Less Afraid
#1 Reframing "Failure" (Or: How I Learned to Accept the Seemingly Endless Error Messages)
My app crashed. A lot. My prompts were terrible. My database refused to cooperate. My hard drive threw a tantrum and ran out of space.
Learning to grapple with how V0 works. Then supabase. Then Github. Then Cursor. Then getting lost with what is a MCP (not a male chauvinist pig). Mermaid Diagrams. New terms like pnpm. Fast and furious. Overwhelming.
Old me would have turned this into a personal referendum: "See? You're not smart enough for this." But Sherry kept reminding us that
Every struggle is actually a sign of progress, and not failure. I needed to hear that.
#2 The 10-Hour Rule (Or: Permission to Suck)
In our instant-everything world, we expect everything (even AI) to be correct, perfect, beautiful, all the time. Sherry shared: meaningful familiarity with new concepts takes at least 10 hours. This is basically permission to be terrible at something for a decent chunk of time and still make progress.
As someone in learning and development, I know that. I know you need to suck before you get better. Still, being frustrated wasn't that fun. BUT, I know it is a necessary process. As Dr Becky puts it"Frustration tolerance is one of the most important skills for life - after all,
... the more we can tolerate frustration, the more we can learn."
#3 Identity Plot Twist: From "I'm Not Technical" to "I Am Learning to Think Systematically"
In the course "Facilitating Conversations for Change", Shiao Yin spoke about separating identity and actions. If we keep saying "I'm not X", we believe it and limit ourselves.
It is more expansive to say "I'm learning, I'm exploring new ways, I'm growing into".
I liked how Sherry and Agrim helped to reframe the all too common script of "I'm not a technical person." to "I can think systematically."
Breaking down problems? Check. Working step by step? Check. Testing and adjusting? Double check.
Looks like they're not just tech folks, possibly ontological coaches too.
#4 The Great Blame Game: You vs. The Machine
I was struck by this: I was learning to figure out when something wasn't working because of me versus when the system was just having a moment. Sometimes my code failed because I made a typo. Sometimes it failed because the platform was updating, or the AI was being overwhelmed (yes it can).
It sounded like a life lesson I'm learning - When am I responsible for something, and when am I not? How much responsibility do I bear and what do I release? What is a healthy load?
#5 Anti-Burn Out Tips For the Analogue Life
The class also accidentally taught me some brilliant anti-burnout strategies:
>> When you're stuck in loops, start fresh.
In Cursor, this meant opening a new chat. In life, it might mean taking a walk, calling a friend, or just stepping away from the problem. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is hit reset.
>> Monitor your energy at 50%, not 5%.
Agrim says: When you see the chat hitting ~50%, time to start a new chat. Less it keeps going at a lesser productivity rate.
Sounds like a good check in point. No need to wait until I'm fried to take a pause.
>> Avoid context pollution.
Instead of loading the chat with 10 things at once, sort out one feature at a time. This prevents muddling and cleaner troubleshooting.
So often in my consulting conversations, clients rattle off 10 things they want to change at a go. Part of my job is to help the clients sort out what's separate and also prioritise. It applies to myself too -- when I feel muddled, I take a walk, I talk to my coach, I journal to get clarity.
>> Clarify your scope: a.k.a don't bite off more than you can chew
I started with an idea of a wellbeing x strengths app. Pivoted to a pickleball app. Came back to the same idea but realised it would be too ambitious to do all of it, so I streamlined to just a few features. Then when I got there, I added back the fancy things like confetti!
I'm learning to optimise better -- how to accept my limits, be more realistic with time and energy, and be ok with achieving less.
#6 The Magic of Struggling Together
Picture this: 40 adults all staring at their screens with the exact same "what the heck is happening" expression.
There's something deeply communal about realising everyone else is just as confused as you are.
It transforms "I'm the only one who doesn't get this" into "We're all figuring this out together."Learning communities can be magic (and can't be replicated by AI yet).
Super thankful for Johanna, who has a calming presence and also digital chops. When I got stuck and could not figure out what link goes where, she calmly points 'there', and it works! Without her, I would not have been able to ship my app.
Conclusion: I Want to be Less Afraid
Last week at the Singapore musical "Fried Rice Paradise" (running until Sept 14!), I was savoring my ondeh ondeh crème brûlée when Nancy's line hit me right in the feels: "I'm keeping the food traditional because change is so fast and I want a space where people can take comfort where things don't change." I was surprised I choked up a bit.
Yes, I feel the speedy heady rate of change. Sometimes I'm afraid. Sometimes I'm tired. Sometimes I'm excited.
I want to approach change, learning, growth in a sustainable way.
Thank you Agrim and Sherry for the AI Vibe Coding Bootcamp for helping me be less afraid:
It is normal to be frustrated in learning. Expect it. Embrace it. Eat a chocolate bar while waiting.
You are not a failure. Give yourself time to be bad at things.
Focus on who you're becoming, not just what you're acquiring.
Figure out what you are responsible for and what you are not. Fix what you can.
Be proactive about energy management.
Be clear of what you want. Check in with yourself often.
Find your people and struggle together.
Vibe coding is not just tech. It's also about regulating your vibes :)
Peace out.
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