Looking for ways/tips/tricks to utilize copilot efficiently as a developer with ZERO coding experience other than one html site in high school

[Coinonymous]

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As the title says, I'm looking for tools, approach methods, and tips for efficient use of my copilot assistant. I'm totally novice, barely know what a repo is lol. I'm hoping that I can extend the useful time of my account before running out of credits. My aim is to build a top to bottom web site with web 3 integration. I'm pretty far along, have a lot of front end completed and have been working on more back end building, but it seems like I can just burn through credits sometimes...copilot will get hung up on a seemingly small change. Sometimes, a more complex request though, it knocks out in no time and without issue. I suppose I'm just wondering if y'all have found some tools to use it more efficiently and to help copilot when it seems stuck reiterating a function or tool but can't seem to get it right even by tweaking prompts each time. I have found that asking copilot itself to write some prompts for itself after giving it my project goals has been helpful. i.e. "break my project into 50 manageable steps that I can post into copilot directly as prompts in order to complete this project". I've also been giving copilot a bit more context when stating prompts and it suggested I give it an estimated time that I can work on XYZ project at one time, theoretically so that it can better designate next steps....But what would you guys recommend for someone like me, who doesn't know what he's doing?
An aside here, but is there a way to ask copilot for some credits back if it was acting like a moron for a bit? I had some glitches early on like the "infinite welcome loop", and it took me a while to figure, again, because I'm not a particularly smart dude. lol

someone suggested I provide a few more details about the project. - Basically kinda like a meme launch site - but with some advanced features. Our main stack
Summarized conversation history

Here’s a concise rundown of your project stack, based on the current workspace and recent troubleshooting:

Project Stack Overview
Frontend:

Framework: Next.js (TypeScript)
Location: app directory (with routes, pages, and API endpoints)
Styling: CSS (PostCSS config present: postcss.config.mjs)
Package management: npm (see package.json)
Backend / Smart Contracts:

Solana Programs (Anchor framework)
Main program: TokenFactory (in token_factory)
Anchor version: 0.29.0 (legacy, for compatibility)
Solana CLI: 1.17.31 (legacy, for compatibility)
Rust: 1.75.0 (legacy, for compatibility)
spl-token: 3.5.0 (direct dependency, no anchor-spl)
Build environment: Docker container (legacy toolchain, due to ecosystem breakage)
ive had a hell of a time getting things to talk to each other correctly. see docker below)
Database/Blockchain:

Interacts with Solana blockchain
MongoDB for off-chain data
Other:

Models: JavaScript files in models
Public assets: public
Documentation: README.md
Dev Environment:

Docker Desktop
Node.js v24.12.0, npm 11.6.2

Thanks in advance for any support. Anybody who helps can come visit me on the private island after I strike it rich hahahahaha

life's a garden, dig it.

[mecodeatlas]

Welcome to the GitHub Community, @Coinonymous, we're happy you're here! You are more likely to get a useful response if you are posting your question in the applicable category and are explicit about what your project entails--giving a few more details might help someone give you a nudge in the right direction. I've gone ahead and moved it for you. Good luck!

[Coinonymous]

thanks! I appreciate the move. I'll edit the original post to provide a few more details. I didn't realize when I first began how individualized/siloed parts of coding is. Where some languages translate, others seem pretty unique.

[happycat490]

I've recently started learning to code with Python. From my experience, relying too heavily on AI does not help me learn. I do ask for ideas and things I can code as a beginner, or have it give me some practice exercises. I do not use Copilot for this, as it tries to code everything for me.

I only use it now when I get stuck or can't figure out where I went wrong. I have found w3schools.com to be a helpful resource for learning the fundamentals; it's also free. It takes a lot of practice. I would start with text-based coding first to keep it simple. (no web interface). I have improved since I first started, practice does make a difference.

Curious to see what others may advise

[Coinonymous]

thanks happy cat. I'll check out that site for some resources. I hope you keep gettin' better. What you say makes sense; at some point, having too much help becomes counter productive to actually grasping the concepts you need.

[happycat490]

I'm still learning; I only started about 6 months ago.

I think it also helps to add comments to your code, so you have a general idea of what the section or line of code is doing. I have also been writing documentation as I code for specific projects, which has been helpful.