My Vibecoding Journey: From Failing CS to Finding Flow

I’ve always been drawn to coding. My dad is a coder. Back in college, I started out in computer science, full of optimism, convinced I’d be building the future. But the reality was harder. Between theory-heavy classes, a lack of mentorship, and life pulling me in other directions, I eventually flunked out. For a while, I thought that was the end of the story.

Still, the curiosity never left me.

The First Breakthrough

In 2012, I took another swing at it. I built a few iOS apps for the App Store. Small projects that actually found real success. I built utility apps and put ads on them, and made good revenue from the ads. That moment showed me something important: I didn’t need a perfect resume or a degree to make something people wanted. Creativity and persistence were enough to get ideas out into the world.

Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Time

Fast forward to now, and my head is full of projects. Games I want to build, tools I want to try, experiments I want to run. The problem has always been the same: time and energy. Its difficult to find time with a family. Traditional coding means getting bogged down in setup, boilerplate, or chasing obscure bugs for hours. That can drain the spark before the idea even has a chance to grow.

Enter Vibecoding

This is where vibecoding comes in. It feels like I’ve finally found a way to align my creativity with my limited time. Every night from bedtime until 1, 2, or 3 in the morning I am vibecoding. With the right prompts, I can move past the “grunt work” and focus on the fun part: ideas.

Instead of fighting with frameworks or documentation, I’m building prototypes in hours. I can see my ideas on screen almost as quickly as I think them. And because the process is so fluid, I stay motivated to keep going, instead of burning out halfway through.

Looking Ahead

Vibecoding doesn’t erase the need to understand the fundamentals, but it gives me a different path forward. It feels like a second chance. A way to bring back that excitement I felt when I first started, without getting stuck in the weeds.

The truth is, I don’t want to create the next Google or Facebook. I just want to bring my ideas into reality and share them with the world. And now, for the first time in a long time, that feels possible again.

Final Thought

If you’ve ever felt like coding was too hard, too time-consuming, or too gatekept, vibecoding opens the door. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about building momentum, riding the flow, and enjoying the process.

For me, it’s less about redemption for flunking out of CS, and more about finally finding my own rhythm. I do think the payoff will come, I just don’t know when.