How to Build Your First AI Agent (When Nothing Works Like the Tutorial)

I watched 12 tutorials and built zero agents (here's what finally worked)

Hi friend,

For weeks, I had been wanting to build my first AI agent. Something that would my daily research, and help me save time from information overload.

I watched 12 different AI agent tutorials. TWELVE. Some explained what AI agents do, some showed cool demos of their creations. And yes, I felt clearer and more confident after understanding the concepts.

But I still hadn't built a single agent. 🙈

I fell into the tutorial trap, consumed hours of AI content, nodded along to explanations, but got stuck when it was time to actually BUILD something.

Here's what I learned when I FINALLY stopped watching and started doing...🥳

1/ Watching Is NOT Learning (And Why That's Your Real Problem)

When I felt overwhelmed, I convinced myself that watching tutorials WAS progress. "I'm learning!" I told myself as I bookmarked yet another "Build Your First Agent" video.

But real learning? That only happened when I finally opened n8n and started clicking buttons.

I remember feeling very confused about what "API calls" meant as a new grad not coming from a CS background. It sounded so technical and intimidating.

Turns out, it's literally copy and paste. It's like getting a key card for your hotel room - you just swipe it where it needs to go.

That's it. No coding required.

🌟 Pro tip: stop letting fancy words be your excuse to procrastinate. The moment I built my first agent, my brain shifted from "This is too complicated for me" to "Oh wait, it's actually not that hard."

That confidence shift? That's what changes everything in your career.

2/ Tutorials Break (And That's Actually Expected)

Yesterday, I was following a tutorial from 2 months ago.

Guess what? A feature the creator used didn't exist anymore. The interface had changed.

If you are a beginner reading any technical blog post, you might start to panic, but actually this happens ALL THE TIME.

What worked before might look completely different today. Instead of being frustrated and stopped, try to ask yourself, "What are they actually trying to accomplish here?"

Then use AI as your troubleshooting partner. I'll describe what the tutorial was trying to do and what I'm actually seeing, and let AI provide the new solution for me.

🌟 Pro tip: Focus on understanding the GOAL of each step, not just copying the exact clicks.

3/ Done Is Better Than Perfect (And Why Your First Agent Sucks)

Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: Your first agent is supposed to be terrible.

I spent HOURS trying to build something as polished as the experts' demos. Meanwhile, those "experts" probably spent months refining their agents, testing edge cases, handling errors.

Here's what my first successful agent does: it sends me an email every morning with practical ML/AI projects for work and trending AI news on topics I care about.

It's not perfect yet (hence why it's in trash lol)!

I’m still learning how to make it better, but now I know I CAN DO IT!

🌟 Pro tip: Embrace the "good enough" philosophy. Your first agent needs to work, not impress anyone. The goal is to prove to yourself that you CAN build things, not to win any awards.

The confidence boost from seeing that first automated email in your inbox is worth more than any perfect tutorial you'll never complete.

4/ Learn From People Who've Already Done the Work

I discovered that people had already shared their agent templates.

Some tutorial just made it seem more difficult than it needed to be.

Then I found a few pre-built agents that were close to what I wanted, but not exactly what I had I in mind.

But seeing how other people structured their agents gave me ideas.

I started tweaking, combining elements from different templates, adding my own touches.

That's when I became genuinely motivated to build my own from scratch - because I finally understood what my own could look like.

Pro tip: Don't reinvent the wheel. Study how others built theirs, then make your own.

I help ambitious overthinkers grow their careers and confidence in the AI era — with practical strategies for clarity, mindset, and self-doubt, all without overwhelm. 🧚‍♀️

💭 Final Thoughts

When your vision is 100% crystal clear, you wouldn't let comparison or overwhelm stall your progress — you'd already be moving.

Most people stay stuck in “research mode,” thinking they are learning when they are actually delaying progress.

If you’ve been spinning in the same loop — consuming, comparing, and feeling lost on where to start — you don’t have to stay there.

The fastest way to learn anything is to take action, even if you fail. ✨

Start where you are, with what you have.

P.S. If you’d like to use the simple agent template I built to get started, just hit reply — I’m happy to share.🫶🏻

Xoxo,

Kessie