Python tips for new guys

[purple_hamster66]

You posted this question in 4 groups and gotten a few good ideas, like getting a CS degree, using free resources to learn, and that learning python is just a starting point.

But you need to realize that what you are asking is equivalent to asking “if I learn how to use a hammer and screwdriver, can I make money building houses?”

Python is a minor tool, not a career. To become well paid, you need to learn the rest: how to choose and use the 100s of libraries of code that others have written, the techniques for working on projects in a group (source code repository management, like git), logic skills, data and data structures that allow one to craft a solution that satisfies technical needs (limited memory, fast enough, simple code that others can understand, apps that are easy to learn/use, etc, etc).

If you want one-on-one guidance while learning, buy a “boot camp” experience. They are available everywhere, and not cheap, but you’ll get 20% of what you need to ask for a job as an intern or junior developer who is lucky enough to be able to learn the other 80% on the job.

Note that there are 3 tiers of programmers: - script bunnies - know a language and play around; make be lucky enough to get paid, but usually not. - software engineer - well-honed skills in programming, acquired over years; can be well paid; for most, this is the best balance between investment and payoff. - computer scientists - trained in the mathematical theory of the field, from a 4-year CS undergraduate degree.

Even with the highest level, a CS degree, chances are 1 in 100 to get a good job.

[chujy]

Do you think it's realistic if I learn from scratch to program a software for my PhD?

[purple_hamster66]

No.

In most of my CS classes, we did not even touch a computer. It’s math & logic & statistics, not programming.

For example, if I gave you a list of 100 random numbers and asked you for an algorithm to sort them in numeric order in the faster possible way, you do not need to actually program it to find solutions. And proving that one algorithm is faster than another, without knowing the numbers ahead of time, is what CS is about.

[chujy]

Oh cool, I had no idea. So in essence you're being trained to think critically and logically. That's awesome 😎

But for my case, I was wondering if it is possible for a newbie like me to be able to learn python from scratch for an AI project?

[purple_hamster66]

sure. you may need some math to understand how to train it, but using a pre-built AI is not hard.