Today Quincy Larson interviews Mark Mahoney. He worked as a dev before becoming a computer science professor. He's taught computer science for 23 years at Carthage College, a 180-year-old US university. He's also taught thousands of developers through his free programming courses built on top of his own open source course platform, Playback Press.

We talk about:
- Why learning programming the hard way is still the right way
- How to not deskill yourself when programming with LLM tools
- And why now is a great time to study computer science

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Links from our discussion:
- Playback Press, Mark's free interactive courses: https://playbackpress.com/books
- Mark's personal website: https://markm208.github.io/
- One of the many vibe-coded projects Mark mentions: https://markm208.github.io/vibeCodingInClassTools/git-workflow-simulator.html
- Mark's tutorials on freeCodeCamp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/author/markm208/

Community news section:

1. freeCodeCamp just published a new course on AI-assisted software development. You'll learn common terminal workflows and tips for “pair programming” alongside LLM tools. You'll also get exposure to  tools like GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, and OpenClaw. At the end of the day, the entire goal of using these tools is to build more features without compromising the maintainability of your codebase. (90 minute YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ai-tools-for-developers/

2. freeCodeCamp also published a beginner level course on AI literacy for everybody that you can also share with your family. First you'll learn about the two traits that definte artificial intelligence: autonomy and adaptivity. Then you'll build your own image classifier right on your own phone or laptop. This course also delves into considerations like algorithmic bias the environmental costs of training and running LLM systems. (1 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ai-literacy-for-everybody/

3. Learn how to build your own QR code generator using JavaScript. This tutorial will walk you through generating QR codes entirely in a browser without the need for a backend. You'll learn how to validate input, clear previous output, and use a JavaScript library to render the code instantly on the client side. Then you'll see how to extend the project with downloads, custom styling, WiFi support, and more. (7 minute read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-build-a-qr-code-generator-using-javascript/

4. I'm thrilled to announce that the Bad Website Club is back for another Responsive Web Design bootcamp based on freeCodeCamp's curriculum. It starts April 24 and runs for 10 weeks. You can  join their Discord community and tune in for live streams. It's lead by volunteer devs who are passionate about helping folks learn CSS and JavaScript fundamentals. (5 minute read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/bad-website-club-bootcamp-based-on-freecodecamp-rwd-cert/

5. Today's song of the week is 2008's Strange Overtones. The Talking Heads singer David Byrne blends his voice with Brian Enos, who handles organs and synths. The entire affair plays over an infectious palm-muted guitar line, and driving bass. This is a perfect mid-week jam. Put it on during during your commute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZhpCYWFzs

freeCodeCamp is a nonprofit organization offering free online coding courses and programming tutorials, covering topics such as web development, data science, and machine learning. Learners can gain practical coding skills, build real-world projects, and earn certifications to advance their careers in tech.

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CS professor Mark Mahoney, who has taught at Carthage College for 23 years and built the free Playback Press learning platform, discusses the value of learning programming the traditional way in the age of LLM tools. He argues that while LLMs like Claude Code are useful for low-stakes tasks and as patient tutors, developers need foundational skills to effectively guide and review AI-generated code. He warns about deskilling risks from over-reliance on AI tools, highlights the irreplaceable role of human instructors in motivating students, and explains why he still encourages his own sons to study computer science. He also describes his project-oriented teaching philosophy and how his Playback Press platform combines book-style narrative with full code access and whiteboard-style visuals.

How to learn programming and CS in the AI hype era – interview with prof Mark Mahoney [Podcast #215]