There's a new way to build software, and it doesn't involve spending hours reading documentation or Stack Overflow. It's called vibe coding, and it's fundamentally changing how developers, especially those of us still in college, approach building applications.
What is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding is the practice of using AI-powered development tools to write, debug, and ship code at speeds that were impossible just two years ago. Instead of writing every line yourself, you describe what you want, iterate with the AI, and guide the output to production.
The term captures something important: you're coding by vibes. You have a vision, you describe it, and the AI helps you realize it. The skill isn't in memorizing syntax; it's in knowing what to build and how to communicate that to your AI pair programmer.
My Tool of Choice: Cursor AI
I've tried GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and a dozen other tools. Cursor AI is in a different league. Here's why:
Context Awareness: Cursor doesn't just autocomplete lines. It understands your entire codebase. Reference a function in another file, and it knows what that function does. Ask it to refactor a component, and it considers how that change affects everything else.
Chat + Code in One: The inline chat feature lets you highlight code, ask questions, and get modifications without leaving your editor. "Make this responsive" or "add error handling here" just works.
Multi-file Edits: This is the killer feature. You can describe a change that spans multiple files, and Cursor will make all the edits, create new files, and update imports across your project.
A Real Example
Last week, I needed to build an internal dashboard for our team. Here's how it went:
Hour 1: Described the layout to Cursor. "Create a Next.js dashboard with a sidebar, dark theme, and cards showing team metrics." Got a working skeleton in minutes.
Hour 2: Iterated on the design. "Make the cards glow on hover like the Vercel dashboard." "Add a chart using recharts." "Make the sidebar collapsible on mobile."
Hour 3: Connected it to our data. "Add an API route that fetches from this JSON endpoint." "Display loading states and error handling."
Hour 4: Deployed to Vercel. Done.
A dashboard that would have taken me two to three days of traditional development was shipped in an afternoon.
The Skills That Actually Matter Now
Vibe coding doesn't mean you don't need to understand programming. If anything, you need to understand it more deeply but differently:
Architecture over syntax: Knowing that a Next.js app needs API routes, server components, and proper state management matters more than memorizing the useState hook syntax.
Debugging intuition: When the AI generates buggy code (and it will), you need to understand why it's wrong, not just that it's wrong.
System design: AI can write a function. It can't design a system. Understanding databases, caching, authentication flows, and deployment pipelines is still entirely on you.
Communication: The better you describe what you want, the better the output. This is a genuine skill that improves with practice.
Tools in My Stack
Here's what I use for vibe coding projects:
Cursor AI for writing and editing code
Vercel for instant deployment and preview URLs
GitHub for version control and collaboration
Antigravity for design inspiration and component ideas
Next.js + Tailwind as the default stack (AI tools are incredibly good at this combination)
The Controversy
Some developers hate vibe coding. "You're not really learning!" they say. "You're just prompting!"
I disagree. Vibe coding is not about avoiding learning. It's about optimizing where you spend your learning energy. I understand data structures, algorithms, and computer science fundamentals from my coursework. Vibe coding lets me apply that knowledge to build real things faster.
The developers who will thrive in the next decade are not the ones who can write the most code from memory. They're the ones who can best leverage AI tools to ship products that solve real problems.
Getting Started
If you want to try vibe coding:
1. Download Cursor AI (free tier is generous)
2. Start with a small project you actually care about
3. Describe what you want in plain English before touching any code
4. Iterate rapidly and don't be afraid to ask the AI to redo things
5. Deploy something real within the first session
The barrier to building software has never been lower. The question is no longer "can I code this?" but "what should I build?"