Vibe Coding: A Non-Programmer's Wild Journey to Building a Website

Hey there, fellow tech enthusiasts and curious minds! Grab a coffee (or your beverage of choice) and settle in, because I'm about to take you on a wild journey through my recent adventure in the world of web development.

Spoiler alert #1: it involves AI, a lot of learning, and a dash of "what am I doing?!" moments.

First things first, let me introduce myself. I'm an IT project manager with over 12 years of experience under my belt. Sounds impressive, right? Well, here's the kicker – I'm not a programmer. Nope, not even close. My background is in business administration, and the closest I've come to coding is deciphering my developers' jargon during project meetings.

But here's the thing: I've always been fascinated by the ever-evolving tech landscape. And recently, I decided to take on a challenge that had me questioning my sanity (in the best way possible): building this personal website (schoolofdream.com) using something called "vibe coding."

Now, you might be wondering, "What in the world is vibe coding?" Trust me, I had the same question when I first heard about it. Essentially, it's this cool new approach to web development that leverages AI-powered tools to generate code based on high-level descriptions or "vibes" of what you want to create. It's like having a super-smart coding buddy who can translate your ideas into actual, working code.

My goal? To see if this trendy concept could help a non-programmer like me create a functional, professional-looking website. Oh, and I decided to skip using any web builder tools, just to make things more interesting (or challenging, depending on how you look at it).

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: "But you're an IT project manager! Surely you know something about coding!" Well, yes and no. Over the years, I've picked up bits and pieces from my amazing developer colleagues, and I've got a knack for writing business requirements. But trust me, there's a big difference between understanding the concept of a for-loop and actually writing one that works.

So, why did I decide to embark on this potentially disastrous journey? Well, partly because I'm a firm believer that with the right mindset and tools, anyone can dive into the world of web development. But mostly, I was just really curious to see if this vibe coding thing could actually produce something stable and useful.

Spoiler alert #2: It worked! But oh boy, was it a journey.

In this series of articles, I'm going to take you through my entire vibe coding adventure. We're talking:

1. The unconventional (and slightly chaotic) process I followed
2. How I leveraged various AI bots to guide me through the development process (shoutout to Claude-3-Haiku and Claude-3.7-Sonnet!) > Jump to here
3. Revealing the moment of truth (code generation by AI), the challenges I faced and how I overcame them > Fast forward to here
4. First deployment to the hosting server, and the basic knowledge that helped me succeed > Read this first
5. Insights on how other non-programmers can approach similar projects (without losing their minds) > Jump to conclusion

Now, full disclosure: I didn't follow the "proper" process of running an IT project. In fact, I took some pretty big shortcuts and skipped steps that would probably make my fellow project managers gasp in horror. But hey, that's part of the fun, right?

Throughout this series, you'll see how my background in IT project management and knack for writing business requirements came in handy in the most unexpected ways. You'll also discover how AI can be your secret weapon in bridging the gap between your creative vision and technical implementation.

So, who's this series for? Well, if you're a fellow IT professional looking to expand your skills, a curious individual interested in web development, or someone who's always wanted to build their own website but felt intimidated by coding – this one's for you. Heck, if you're just someone who enjoys a good tech adventure story, you're in for a treat!

In the next article, we'll dive into the nitty-gritty of how I kicked off this project, including how I sweet-talked AI into helping me create a plan (sort of) for my website. Trust me, it's going to be a fun ride!

Excited? I hope so! Because this journey taught me that with a bit of creativity, some AI assistance, and a willingness to laugh at yourself, you can create something pretty amazing – even if you don't know your Python from your JavaScript.

Want to stay in the loop and get more insider tips on turning your tech dreams into reality? Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter. I'll be sharing more ideas, tricks, and lessons learned from my vibe coding adventures. Who knows, you might just find yourself inspired to start your own AI-assisted coding journey!

Read the next article of this series: From Idea to Plan: Kickstarting Your Vibe Coding Project