Business & technology

Learning to code by making something that works

Valon Asani · · 2 min read

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Original video. The written article below is available in English, Albanian and German.

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Learning to code becomes more concrete when a small thing works and you can explain why.

In this TikTok post, I shared Edon Luta’s MasterOnce app and described its approach to learning coding through practice, play and building. The caption was an invitation to beta testers at that time, with an App Store launch still ahead.

I am keeping that context attached to the post. The old beta invitation is not a current availability announcement. What interests me here is the learning idea: you should get to do something with a concept, not only read about it.

Give learning to code a visible result

If you are starting to code, choose a small thing whose behaviour you can describe. For example, a button that changes a message, or a list where you can add and remove an item. These are suggested exercises, not claims about the app’s lessons.

Build the simplest version, change one part and observe the result. If it breaks, try to explain the difference between what you expected and what happened. That explanation gives you a more precise question to investigate than “I don’t understand coding”.

Use help without skipping understanding

The source post describes the app as vibe coded. That phrase captures the enthusiasm around building with AI assistance, but it does not show how much any learner understands. A working result and an explanation of the result are separate checks.

After receiving suggested code, try to explain what each important part does. Change a requirement and see whether you can adapt it. If you cannot yet explain something, that is a useful place to continue learning.

The point of practice is not to avoid theory forever. It is to give the theory a concrete question to answer. Make something small, notice what you do not understand, and return to it with a better question.

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