Let’s start this up again. This month was definitely not a month of code. I didn’t end up coding much, working on projects, or doing anything particularly important. I’m not sure if I needed a reset, but I feel better now at the end of the month compared to the beginning.

The start of the month was dominated by a big letdown with the job offer and the process of settling back in. I was offered some projects, and I’m still interested in them—I just couldn’t get motivated to work on them. Now I switched up some vitamins and focused on new things I am feeling better. One big focus was figuring out how to build some of my projects using Grok to answer my questions. It seemed to approach problems in ways I’d already tackled, which reassured me that I’m on the right path.

For example, I asked Grok to build an HTML resume template. At first, it produced something basic and corporate—pretty boring, as expected. But after I fed it more of my expectations, the result improved. I gave it my existing resume, and it gave transform it into something quicker to read. When I ran out of free prompts on Grok.com, I turned to X (Twitter) to ask for help polishing the HTML and giving it a modern look. The result was even better than I’d hoped, complete with a list of suggestions and cleaned things up. I ended up using that to replace my old resume.

This got me thinking about tackling more complex projects. When I fed Grok some of my existing ideas, it generated what felt like a tutorial on how to build it. I’d add details—like how to access a database or use UI frameworks—and it would walk me through creating what I asked for. It doesn’t replace knowing how to build these things yourself, but it offers solid pointers. What it produced was similar to my own solutions, though I had to guide it to get there.

I read about a professor whose students submitted correct projects but failed basic tests. I think AI is like that—it’s helpful, but it won’t teach you the fundamentals. If you don’t grasp the basics, how can you even tell if the output is correct? Some people claim AI has all the answers, but they’re only using it for simple tasks. Plus, certain problems—like those requiring real-time computation—should just be handled by traditional programs, not AI trying to solve non-issues.

I’ve also noticed the buzz around image manipulation and generation. The "art community" is freaking out. Simple or even moderately advanced drawings and image edits are now just a few prompts away. With programming, though, it’s different. AI can generate a program, but is it correct? Can a programmer extend it or integrate it into a larger system?

Back to my Year of Code: I’m adding a month to my challenge, so I’ll now aim for the end of January 2026. I want to lean on Grok more to guide me toward solutions. My goal is to turn some projects into passive income sources. I don’t plan to stream much, but I’d like to get back to a few times a week.

For April, I’m lining up 2-3 projects: a blog platform, a homestead sales platform, and a recipe platform. Why these? The blog is something I’ve needed for a while and will give me practice for the others. The sales platform has a client already interested, so if I can build it, I’ll have a reusable solution that’s less costly than a one-off site. And the recipe site is just something I want to make work.

Everything above was written out in VS Code then "Checked for Clarity" by Grok, I did edit some of the text back to the point I wanted to make not what it thought was better. Maybe should have only asked it to proofread next time as it was worried about "The text is clear enough for someone familiar with your context."