▶What keyboard shortcuts should I learn first?
Master these 10: Ctrl+/ (comment), Ctrl+D (multi-select), Ctrl+Shift+L (select all matches), Ctrl+K Ctrl+C (block comment), F12 (go to definition), Ctrl+Shift+F (find in files), Ctrl+` (terminal), Ctrl+B (toggle sidebar), Ctrl+J (toggle panel), Ctrl+Shift+P (command palette). These alone save 5+ hours per week.
▶Which extensions are worth installing?
Core set: ESLint (linting), Prettier (formatting), GitLens (git history), GitHub Copilot (AI pair programming), Remote Containers (dev environment). Optional: Thunder Client (REST client), Todo Tree (task highlighting), Error Lens (inline errors). Skip theme/icon packs unless your team standardizes them.
▶How do I set up devcontainers?
Install Remote Containers extension, create .devcontainer/devcontainer.json with image, forwarded ports, and extensions list. VS Code reopens in a Docker container. Your entire team gets identical tooling. Eliminates 'works on my machine' issues.
▶Can VS Code replace more expensive IDEs like JetBrains?
For most developers: yes. VS Code is 100% free, lighter weight, and ships with built-in debugging, terminal, and git. JetBrains offers deeper language support and refactoring. If you code in Python/Java exclusively and need advanced IDE features, JetBrains wins. Otherwise, VS Code + extensions = sufficient.
▶How do I configure VS Code for my language (Python/JavaScript/Go)?
Install the official extension (Python, JavaScript, Go, etc.), then use Command Palette > Settings Sync to share your config. For Python: set linter (Pylint/Flake8) and formatter (Black/Autopep8) in settings.json. For JavaScript: Prettier + ESLint. For Go: gofmt built-in.
▶What's the learning curve, and how long until I'm productive?
Easy-Medium (1 month). Week 1: learn 10 shortcuts + install 5 extensions. Week 2: set up debugging + snippets. Week 3: configure workspace settings + tasks. Week 4: devcontainers + Copilot workflow. You'll be 2-3x faster than week 1 by month-end.
▶Does Copilot cost money?
Yes: $10/mo for individuals, or free for students/open-source maintainers via GitHub. Without Copilot, you still get full IDE productivity; it's an optional accelerant. Start without it, upgrade once you feel bottlenecked.