> Canonical: https://drkishanrees.com/learn/do-i-need-to-code/

# Do I need to know how to code?

*No, not to start: this whole site was built by a doctor who never trained as a developer. What you cannot skip is verifying what the model builds, and that is the difference this session is about.*

Foundations & Fundamentals. 2 min read.

First published 6 August 2026

This is the first worry most people have, and it is the one that most often stops them starting: I
am not a programmer, so is this even for me? It is. I had that exact doubt myself, and what settled
it was not a pep talk but seeing what I could actually build. So let me show you, rather than simply
reassure you.

## So what can I actually build without code?

Yes, absolutely, to begin with. Interacting with models such as Claude Cowork and Claude Code is for
people who understand a problem but have never learnt the syntax of programming: you describe the
change you want, and the model writes it. The proof is close to hand. I built this site, and before it a
working personal dashboard, as a doctor with a decade in the NHS and no formal training
as a developer. The dashboard was planned in an evening and built the next morning; work that once
took months took a weekend. None of that needed knowing how to write a line of code.

## Then what do you actually need?

Three things, and none of them is syntax. First, the ability to say clearly what you want, a good
brief, which the primer teaches. Second, the judgment to read a result
honestly: to look at what the model produced and tell whether it does what you asked, the way a
doctor reads a test they did not run and still knows what looks wrong. Third, the discipline to
keep a record of what changed and why, so you can stand behind it. The model supplies the code.
You supply the decision.

## Where can I see this on the site?

The clearest evidence is the site you are reading. Its whole [story](/story/) is mine: I am a
doctor, not a developer, and it runs from medicine and teaching and broadcast to building with AI. The
[set-up session](/learn/before-you-begin/) shows the three rooms you actually work in, none of
which asks you to write code to start, and the primer turns a plain-language
brief into a repeatable habit. Between them they are most of what you need on day one.

## So, do I need to know how to code?

No, not to start, and not for a surprisingly long way after. You need to understand your problem,
say what you want plainly, and check what comes back with an honest eye. Learning some code later
will help, and you may absorb it as you go, but it is not the entry ticket. The syntax is the
model's job. Knowing whether the result is right stays yours.

## Questions and answers

### Do I need to know how to code to build with AI?

No, not to begin. You describe what you want in plain language and the model writes the code. This site was built by a doctor with no formal programming training. What you need instead is the judgment to verify what comes back.

### If I do not write the code, what is my job?

To own the decision: to say clearly what you want, to check that the result does what you asked, and to keep a record of what changed and why. The model supplies the syntax; you supply the judgment and the accountability.

### Will I ever need to learn some code?

You may pick some up, and it helps, but you can get a long way without it. The skill that matters most is not writing code, it is reading a result honestly and knowing when it is not right.

## Related resources

- The story: a doctor who built his software by describing it: https://drkishanrees.com/story/
- Before you begin: Chat, Cowork, Code: https://drkishanrees.com/learn/before-you-begin/

Cite as: Rees, Kishan. 'Do I need to know how to code?'. drkishanrees.com, first published 6 August 2026. https://drkishanrees.com/learn/do-i-need-to-code/