5 Levels of Understanding When Learning Code

To answer, you need a map. But the map that Vibe Code gurus are stuffing into your head, with promises of an easy path... burn it.

It's not just wrong, it's a deception.

Today, I will give you a real nautical chart. A chart drawn with experience and scars from my own journey. We will go through 5 levels of awareness, helping you pinpoint exactly where your ship is, and what you need to do to sail further.

🌫️ Level 1: The Fog of Confusion

The journey begins at Level 1: The Fog of Confusion.

This is where you hear but don't see. You hear them talk about JS being able to write logic; HTML, CSS used for Web; C++ being very powerful and fast, and 2^64.

Words glide past your ears, then slip away like strange sounds without shape or meaning. My friend! At this moment you're on a small boat, standing still in thick fog. You don't even know what else lies ahead.

🌊 Level 2: The Ocean of Information

Through an effort of curiosity, you lift that fog by typing your first keywords into Google. The fog clears, you realize you've just stepped into Level 2: The Ocean of Information.

You can see information floating around you. Before you now is an endless ocean of tutorials, blog posts, crash courses... and recently there are also AI Coding Tools. You try copying an async/await code snippet from the web, paste it into the browser and gasp when it runs and displays your first logic. Excitement is the feeling right now, you clearly sense positive progress in yourself.

This is also the sweet trap that will hold you back, 95% of Vibe Coders will get stuck here, I mean FOREVER STUCK HERE!

Vibe Coders are content with surfing on the water surface, picking up floating pieces of wood to improve their boat and console themselves that they're going in the right direction. Vibers don't realize that right beneath their feet, under that layer of water is an entire abyss, icebergs, underwater storms waiting to stir up waves.

🏊‍♂️ Level 3: Seeing Through 3 Layers of Water

The shock comes! One day you realize there's a crack in your boat's hull, and fixing the crack cannot be done from inside.

You have 2 choices:

• ❌ Either let the boat sink, reset the journey, return to land and start over.
• ⚡ Or learn to dive to fix the holes in your boat's hull with your own hands.

If you choose option 2, you will advance to Level 3: Seeing Through 3 Layers of Water.

You begin asking "WHY" and "HOW" questions.

In the process of diving to repair holes in your ship's hull, you may find treasure vaults at the bottom of the sea. Piercing through the water surface now you can see underwater currents, icebergs, even killer whale pods ready to break your hull to seize your treasure. Oh my, the seabed is so profound, mysterious and full of things to explore.

You have now discovered more treasures, but also look at the seabed with humble eyes, more open to learning than ever before.

⚔️ Level 4: Sea Warrior

When you can see clearly in all directions, assess the depths and shallows, that's when you have enough mettle to step into Level 4: Sea Warrior.

You have core principles for navigating this voyage. You're ready to face difficulties, storms, icebergs. You can assess where your ship is weak so you can start fixing it before water leaks in. You know exactly where to drop anchor, when to hoist sails to optimize resources and wind power on your great voyage.

It will be a long journey that trades time, and sometimes you'll encounter other pirates coming to fight for territory. You must be both strong and skillful to know which fronts you can fight, when it's safe to make tactical retreats.

Let me repeat, it will be a long journey, and you need to fight with all your might for glory.

🧭 Level 5: Captain

After many years of campaigning on the great voyage, many storms have forged you and confrontations with pirates. You don't even need a compass anymore.

Congratulations on reaching Level 5: Captain.

You can look up at the sky to determine direction, just feel the wind, or see a differently colored cloud to know if storms are coming.

Intuition and experience have forged you into a living lighthouse on the sea.

Now you not only steer your own ship, you're responsible for a Fleet, drawing new nautical charts and leading your crew through treacherous seas... to write new chapters in your own journey.

🎯 Locate Yourself

Have you figured out where you stand after reading this?

Be honest!

The most important decision of this great journey is when you courageously climb out, dive down yourself and patch up holes that cannot be fixed from just one side inside.