I think the push for Python first is wrong for some people

I tried to learn Python for 6 months and just got lost in the syntax. I switched to JavaScript and built a simple webpage in a weekend, which made the concepts click. Has anyone else found a different starting point that worked better for them?

2 comments

2 Comments

calebrivera1mo ago

You said you built a webpage in a weekend with JavaScript, but that's exactly why Python is better to start with. Python's syntax is simple on purpose, it looks like plain English. Getting lost for six months might mean you were using bad learning material, not that the language is wrong. JavaScript forces you to deal with weird rules and browser issues right away, which can be more confusing. Starting with Python lets you learn basic coding ideas without all that extra stuff. Your one good experience with JavaScript doesn't make it a better first language for most people.

holly_young351mo ago

Okay, the "looks like plain English" line got me. My first Python script was supposed to print hello world, but I spent an hour because I forgot the colon. So plain English, but with secret punctuation rules! I then tried to make a number guesser and accidentally made an infinite loop that just yelled "TOO HIGH" forever. Maybe I'm the problem, not the language.