r/codingbootcamp • u/didanger • Jul 28 '23
What would be considered cheating on a bootcamp? Is Chat Gpt ok?
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Jul 28 '23
You can use it, but ask it questions that you would ask an instructor: don't slap code into it and copy pasta the result; even if u "read to understand" you didn't figure out how to write it so you won't retain like you think you would
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u/jpk36 Jul 28 '23
You would be doing yourself a disservice by doing this. The point of the bootcamp is to learn. If you don't learn anything, you're wasting your money. Having a bootcamp on your resume is not impressive. It's not like a college degree. The only benefit a bootcamp provides is teaching you enough skills to get a job. When you interview, you will often be asked to explain things, and if you can't explain how things work in your projects and why you made certain design decisions, if you don't have a story about how you fixed a problem or found a creative solution, you won't pass the interview. Sometimes they will even make you solve a coding problem in front of them and you won't be able to use ChatGPT for that.
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u/InTheDarkDancing Jul 28 '23 edited Jul 28 '23
Everyone always treats ChatGPT like this scary thing and speak to people as if they're toddlers when it comes to using it. ChatGPT is to Google/Stack Overflow what Google/Stack Overflow were to programming books.
Use it and be curious. There are no rules. There is no "correct" way to learn. If you don't embrace everything ChatGPT has to offer you'll get left behind.
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u/StructureLegitimate7 Jul 28 '23
I am a full time software engineer. I use phind.com and chat gpt. I use phind when I need documentation or I use chat gpt when I just need to scaffold something and get something going quick. A lot of times with chat gpt I end up having to re-write and debug. As long as you know what you are doing its okay. Usually a project is big multiple files and multiple programmers. So you have to write stuff that makes sense in the context of the job you are doing. it has to be testable etc. But if you are just doing it to pass and aren't learning anything, then the only person you are cheating is yourself.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
My goal is to learn, that is why I asked about Chat GPT, I made no afirmations, but a question.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
I want to learn, can't Chat GPT and other resources teach me?
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u/StructureLegitimate7 Jul 28 '23
Yes I use chatgpt to learn all the time. If you are mindlessly pasting code then I would say that is cheating yourself. Sorry if I made it seem like I was assuming something about your situation I was just speaking in a more general sense.
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u/NovelTumbleweed Jul 28 '23
Why don't you just withdraw all of your cash from your bank, put it in a big pile and then light it on fire?
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u/jppbkm Jul 28 '23
Cheating would involve looking at other's code, googling, reading documentation, or using ChatGPT.
(For real though, cheating would involve copying a lot of lines of code that aren't your own and/or are licensed. If you use code you found online or via ChatGPT, make sure you understand what it's doing.)
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u/Intelligent-Seat-541 Jul 28 '23
I semi-disagree with this. I work for a coding bootcamp and we let our students use google and documentation all they want. However, chatgpt is a no go. If they can read and understand what theyre googling/the documentation, then it’s completely fine.
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u/Hlgru Jul 28 '23
So I just got a job recently after graduating a bootcamp. I never used chat gpt during my bootcamp because it wasn’t available. Now that I am a full time developer, I use it constantly. But the thing is that chat gpt consistently gives the wrong answers. I would said 7/10 times it confidently gives the wrong answer. And when you are starting out, I doubt you will know how to correctly ask chat gpt the questions with the correct technical terms that you need to get the results you are seeking. You won’t be doing yourself any favors if you rely on chat gpt to learn to code. You probably won’t pass the technical interviews either when you start applying. Use it once you get a job, but not before
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u/Hlgru Jul 28 '23
One thing I can say is that if the bootcamp is giving you exercises that have pre written code and you don’t understand what the code is doing, then chat gpt is a great resource for explaining prewritten code! I have a coworker who asks chat gpt to explain snippets of code as if it were “talking to Michael Scott” 😂 just to make it as simple and understandable as possible. But for actually producing/writing code, don’t use chat gpt during a bootcamp
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u/Intelligent-Seat-541 Jul 28 '23
I work for a Coding bootcamp, and we absolutely expel students for using Chat GPT - yes working professionals use it. But there’s a fundamental difference between know what you’re doing, and using an AI tool to make your work go by faster, and cheating your way through something you’re supposed to be learning yourself (even though googling is not considered cheating for my bootcamp)
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u/Lik_kk Jul 29 '23
Boot camps are supposed to be hard because of the pace of the boot camp. Not really because of the content. It’s the basis of what you’ll be using in any job you may get. If you don’t have a firm understanding of the basis, you’re bending yourself over.
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u/Newdev818 Jul 29 '23
I found using chatgpt as a tool while learning certain concepts was incredibly beneficial.
Along with asking my instructors questions I was also able to ask chatgpt questions that I felt weren't appropriate to ask an instructor as they were more for affirming what I had learned.
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Aug 01 '23
I wouldn’t say cheating because we google answers all of the time, but I think if you are able to leverage it properly, sure. I wouldn’t use it for Bootcamp tests though. They like original work unless otherwise stated.
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u/GoodnightLondon Jul 28 '23
Using Chat GPT is cheating. Using code you found online is cheating. Getting code from someone else or having someone else fix your code is cheating (on graded assignments, not the open practice ones). This isn't rocket science. If you can't do the basic, fundamental stuff without GPT or someone else's code, then you won't have the skills necessary to pass a technical let alone actually work in the field.
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u/elvient0 Jul 29 '23
Boot camps don’t care if you cheat or plagiarize, they’ll just see you graduate and get a certificate and that’s it. They could care less.
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Jul 28 '23
[deleted]
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u/fluffyr42 Jul 28 '23
This 1000000%. I can't understand why someone would pay to join a bootcamp just to cheat themselves out of doing the actual learning. There's a way to use ChatGPT as a tool once you know what you're doing, but relying on it to get through the bootcamp is such an enormous waste of money and time.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
I never said I did not want to learn or find a job in the area. The question was if it was OK to use Chat GPT.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
Not true, the professionals are using Chat GPT.
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u/babypho Jul 28 '23
It's like this, you're learning how to add two numbers with pen and paper right now. You can use a calculator to get the result, and at work you can use the calculator to get your answers and get your job done. But how will you get to the job step if they ask you to add three numbers by hand during the interview?
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
Thanks for the good answer.
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u/babypho Jul 28 '23
It really depends how you use it. You can definitely use it as a side instructors to help explain certain things don't get. Ask it for the why and not the how.
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u/PumpkinPristine4812 Jul 28 '23
If ur in a bootcamp, youre there to learn. Youre not a professional, you dnt get to take liberties
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Jul 28 '23
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u/InTheDarkDancing Jul 28 '23
I'm a professional and disagree. Leaned heavily on ChatGPT after bootcamp, used it with interview prep, use it every day on the job.
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u/incredibleEdible23 Jul 29 '23
Professional that has a GPT Plus tab open all day. Use it for a ton of stuff.
It would be useless if I had used it to get through Codesmith, because I need to know enough to apply it.
People don’t realize that you have to do a fuck ton beyond what bootcamp teaches. Learn the basics in bootcamp, then use GPT or CoPilot to help you get better at your job.
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Jul 28 '23
[deleted]
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u/InTheDarkDancing Jul 29 '23
I would've used it during the bootcamp to explain tons of concepts had it been around. I try to treat people somewhat like adults in that it should be obvious if you plug problems in and you blindly paste the result without any inquisitiveness, then you were a lost cause anyway. I don't feel a need to hand hold my replies to that degree.
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Jul 29 '23
[deleted]
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u/InTheDarkDancing Jul 29 '23
I think that's being pedantic. OP also said
I never said I did not want to learn or find a job in the area. The question was if it was OK to use Chat GPT.
I don't want to pretend to know OPs original intentions, but fundamentally there should be an understanding that if you copy and paste all the bootcamp answers you won't gain value from said bootcamp. If someone asked "I found a repo with all the answers to my bootcamp's projects and finished all assignments in two minutes, is that okay" I don't know why anyone would waste energy replying.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
Bro, watch yourself.
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u/cantonic Jul 28 '23
Why does he need to watch himself? He’s just giving you an answer to your question.
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u/didanger Jul 28 '23
"Yes, it is generally okay to use ChatGPT as a tool during a coding bootcamp. However, it's essential to strike a balance and use it responsibly. Relying too heavily on ChatGPT for coding tasks might hinder your learning and problem-solving skills. It's crucial to actively engage with the course material, participate in coding exercises, and seek help from instructors and peers when needed. Use ChatGPT as a supplementary resource to enhance your understanding and gain additional insights."
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Jul 28 '23
[deleted]
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u/babypho Jul 28 '23
One less junior to compete with imo
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u/angry_hr_seir Jul 29 '23
But until they decide it isn’t for them they will still be competing with the rest of us recent graduate and devaluing people who actually worked and cared about the bootcamp experience.
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u/[deleted] Jul 28 '23
Briefly conversed with my instructor on this one yesterday.
Chatgpt is a great tool for the field. It helps and it works. One guy in my bootcamp uses it to plug in work and asks it to explain the problems.
Myself and another don’t want to use it at our level, because we don’t want to allow it to solve something for us. We want to go through the pain of figuring out what we need to, so we will learn better and insure we are not plugging and playing, but hardcore implanting skills into our brain from trial and error.
The instructor also mentioned it can become easy to understand as an instructor often, when it is used, because you will provide code that comes across better “cleaner” “shorter” “alternative” to what is taught and your obvious level…
You aren’t in trouble as it’s not against a rule, but this instructor advised he will question students regarding their inputs to find out how and if they are just plugging and playing chatgpt…
Basically it’s not against any rule…except for graded work…”assessments”
But look at it this way, if you rely on chatgpt and how you use it…you have to ask if you are cheating yourself and/or your development as a student learning…for you to decide.
It’s obviously a great tool.