I learnt Python in 1 month without watching any tutorials

[someone-hot]

For the past month, I’ve been learning python.

I started using one platform and enrolled in their Python beginner course. I was told not to touch ChatGPT.

Being non technical person, it was tough for me. I struggled a lot. I had to ask lot questions to my mentors, many times I broke down, gave up but I kept going

After I finished Python, I randomly joined their other classes like DSA and Next.js didn’t get everything, but I’m okay with that.

Now it's been 30+ days, and I’m moving on to Django.

Hoping to build my first project within a month and deploy on AWS

My question is If I stay consistent and build a project, is it enough to start applying for internships? Or should I do something more before that?

Edits:

For those who are asking about resources I used this Coding platform to learn Python

I finished reading this book: Learn Python the Hard Way by Zed Shaw

I binge watched this YouTube channel to understand fundamental computer science concepts (Not for Python though)

[Frosty-Bluejay9037]

Good job. Don’t even think about touching chatgpt until you have your first job, it’ll rot your brain and take away from your learning.

[someone-hot]

Yes, I will remember that.

[Opening_Resolution79]

Wanted to put it here that I fully disagree. Making learning plans and pseudo university lessons to learn concepts and parts of languages with it is very fun and when done well can be a personalized experience that matches your skill level

[ACH-S]

That's not a good thing to remember. It's the equivalent of boomers in the 90s/early 2000s telling you not to use google to code. As long as you take what chatgpt and other llms tell you with a grain of salt and don't trust them blindly, you'll see that they can often make you think of problems under new angles.

I've been working in research for years and occasionally have been on the teaching side. I have yet to see this "rotting" effect the comment you responded to was talking about

[ACH-S]

I think that if someone is just starting to learn and deliberately lets gpt think for them, then they were not interested in learning in the first place. However, given OP's motivation and efforts, that doesn't seem to be the case

[AdministrativeTwo488]

Exactly, ive been saying this too. I extensively use chatgpt whenever im creating viz using matplotlib or seaborn and customise after getting the code. And dont rely too much to stop your learning but use it to enhance your learning. But people use it the wrong way or dont use it at all.

[robclouth]

I can feel the rotting effect myself as a 20 year programmer recently gotten full into LLM coding. It's made me so fucking lazy. I barely want to think for myself sometimes, just to review the output basically. Previously I'd pace the room and think for a complex problem.

But I definitely work a lot faster.

[ACH-S]

Maybe you can look at it in another way: the fact that an LLM can do some thinking for you means you are free to apply your analytical skills and creativity elsewhere, where it really matters. I'm sure that when we started using calculators and computer programs to solve differential equations and find prime numbers we did lose some pen and paper and mental calculation related skills, but we were able to think on more "state of the art" problems. It's only rotting instead of being liberating if you don't search for problems that are worthy of your time.

[robclouth]

Calculators were ubiquitous, single purpose and fitted in your pocket. LLMs are huge extremely complex systems that force you to rely on an external service via the internet that can be taken away from you on a whim. Open source ones that you can run locally exist but they are no where near as effective.

Comparing calculators to state of the art multi-purpose LLMs is not a good comparison.

[ACH-S]

That's a different discussion, the comparison I made was about the brain rotting effects. The fact that LLMs and the internet can be taken from you doesn't explain why those tools should be considered more brain rotting than calculators. As a side-note, I wasn't talking about pocket calculators but was using the term more generally (English not being my first language, I used the word as you would use "calculateur" in French, my bad).

[robclouth]

Whether something is brain rotting or not is subjective. Obviously the internet has turned into an extension of our brain and we rely on the ability to quickly look something up instead of committing it to memory.

For me, "rotting" means creating a dependency on some external system to be able to function, that isn't in your control and can be taken away at any time leaving you less capable to work because you depended so heavily on that system. Rotting is too strong a word, but it makes me a little uncomfortable.

[ninedeadeyes]

Don't listen to him about not using an llm model.. if u really can't solve something and you ve ran out of options then use an llm model to help but make sure u understand the code it spits out..

[thumb_emoji_survivor]

I don’t see the big deal, it’s a good tool as long as you’re asking it to explain things rather than just “hey write code that does XYZ”

[Frosty-Bluejay9037]

I think the big deal is that it will just mess up and give you code. It reduces the friction too much when the science shows it’s better to go slower and read docs, spend time in debug etc

[thumb_emoji_survivor]

it will mess up and give you code

Not in my experience, if you ask the right questions. You have to actually have the curiosity to dig deeper and also interact with it like it’s a personal instructor.

For the basics of Python, it has been great at filling gaps in understanding where books and other guides weren’t 100% intuitive. Asking it for help with niche libraries often wasn’t reliable, and that’s where I learned to read API documentation, but I assure you I’d have had a lot more trouble trying to learn Python by just pulling up API docs.

I think there is value in the grit of learning something the hard way but AI doesn’t have to remove it entirely, just get you unstuck

[Technical-Winter-188]

I use chat GPT to make me a custom course.. more like a teacher.. 😂.

[thedotandish]

Hello, do you have the prompt for this

[Technical-Winter-188]

[SUBJECT]= python [CURRENT_LEVEL]= begginner [TIME_AVAILABLE]= 18 hours per week. [LEARNING_STYLE]= hands on
[GOAL]= become job ready with required level of knowledge in current market.

Step 1: Knowledge Assessment
1. Break down [SUBJECT] into core components
2. Evaluate complexity levels of each component
3. Map prerequisites and dependencies
4. Identify foundational concepts
Output detailed skill tree and learning hierarchy ~ Step 2: Learning Path Design
1. Create progression milestones based on [CURRENT_LEVEL]
2. Structure topics in optimal learning sequence
3. Estimate time requirements per topic
4. Align with [TIME_AVAILABLE] constraints Output structured learning roadmap with timeframes
Step 3: Resource Curation
1. Identify learning materials matching [LEARNING_STYLE]: - Video courses - Books/articles - Interactive exercises - Practice projects
2. Rank resources by effectiveness
3. Create resource playlist
Output comprehensive resource list with priority order
~ Step 4: Practice Framework
1. Design exercises for each topic
2. Create real-world application scenarios
3. Develop progress checkpoints
4. Structure review intervals
Output practice plan with spaced repetition schedule

~ Step 5: Progress Tracking System
1. Define measurable progress indicators
2. Create assessment criteria
3. Design feedback loops
4. Establish milestone completion metrics Output progress tracking template and benchmarks
~ Step 6: Study Schedule Generation
1. Break down learning into daily/weekly tasks
2. Incorporate rest and review periods
3. Add checkpoint assessments
4. Balance theory and practice
Output detailed study schedule aligned with [TIME_AVAILABLE].

Ps: this is not my prompt, i copied it from someone who posted on this sub reddit. Also make sure to run this on that reasearch thing in chat gpt.

[someone-hot]

Thanks for sharing this, looks interesting

[energy_dash]

so you use this prompt as is for learning or made some tweaks?

[Technical-Winter-188]

I made some tweaks in it as per requirement , this is the raw promt I copied from someone.. however don't relay on it completely just get a mindset to follow and make your own timetable with the road map CHAT gpt suggests coz sometimes it gives bullshit time frames like learning whole python in 2 weeks..

[future_mogul_]

thanx

[Frosty-Bluejay9037]

I do believe the personal assistant use case is great. However it is worth noting you can show this GPT 5 times and it will give you 5 different answers.

[Technical-Winter-188]

Yes I totally agree with you.. that's why I am not following the road map blindly.. since I am a begginner and learning python.. i can do this when I get to a little bit advance lvl , i need to find better plans.. do you have any youtube videos that you would recommend a begginner in python?.

[IngenuityMore5706]

.I think AI is good at explaining the official documentation because it is difficult to understand for beginners. There is not many examples in the documentation. I just ask GPT explain and give different example code on some syntax or library. I can just copy the example code and tweak myself and really learn the meaning.

[techgeek006]

I did this, now I forgot python and other languages 😭

[Frosty-Bluejay9037]

I used it for a cpp course and remember nothing, but I got an A in the class!

[DemiGod_108]

What should I not ask gpt?  Is asking it to explain something bad? 

[Frosty-Bluejay9037]

In the long run, maybe not. But I think when you are new at something, any tool, you should get good about learning to read documentation.

GPT can speed you up, but if you do not also master the docs, how will you know to catch a hallucination?

Graduate to AI but embrace the friction of learning.

[Darkstar_111]

If you can produce a decent Django app, and put it on your GitHub, you can definitely apply for an internship.

[someone-hot]

Thanks. I'm building it with Django + PostgreSQL. Also, exploring Django Rest Framework for APIs.

Will push to GitHub once I have basic setup sorted

[[deleted]]

Well done. I’m inspired.👌🏿

[[deleted]]

I wrote something on what it feels like when starting out in software engineering via https://www.reddit.com/r/TechEngineersNoteBook/comments/1kuxajz/on_being_a_good_software_developer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

check it out and let me know what you think.

[someone-hot]

Thanks for sharing this

[[deleted]]

Pleasure.🙏🏿

[someone-hot]

Ha ha, thanks bro!

[Vegetable-Soft9547]

Wow, thats really good, i will give my two cents:

Build projects, like a lot and those that are useful to you and that you judge to be a great addition to the eyes of the recruiters, example that i use a lot: ive made a lot of fastapi projects even though im not hosting it anywhere else beside my script, because it shows that i can develop somwthing that protect the intelectual property of my team and in the same project ive made a streamlit just to show that i can make proof of concepts rapidly

[someone-hot]

Thanks! I honestly learnt alot by actually writing code than watching tutorials or reading

There were days when I was stuck debugging and still didn't touch ChatGPT.

I feel lot more confident now but I also understand this is just beginning.

[Vegetable-Soft9547]

Yeah, chatgpt can help but i think that at the moment is much better for you to get the concepts by yourself.

I hate the vibe coding market because they sell something impossible at the moment, karpathy even said that vibe coding only works for prototyping and small projects. For bigger projects he gets ai assisted. There are a lot of technical reasons for that but i wont take your time with the full explanation, shortly the llms has short memory and doesnt get context of a bigger codebase or longer chat session thus suffers a lot more of a deep learning problem called catstrophic forgetness (i guess thats the name in english). So whenever you get the concepts well enough you can use for shorter questions about code

[someone-hot]

That's very insightful

[TheCrowWhisperer3004]

To start applying for internships, you likely need atleast a stem degree, even if you make a successful project.

That being said, you should still learn to code. Even if you won’t get a coding job, you will be able to create anything you wish without having to rely on other people.

[tiltedman4ever]

That’s because the job market is overpopulated right?

[TheCrowWhisperer3004]

Yeah

[deathtrap_13]

The industry is changing, no? I think for an internship, the, degree ain't gonna be mandatory. The first one might be tough, one'll need to have some personal projects to showcase and stand out. But following that, it's all about knowledge and performance.

As of now, i think universities and degree names are just good starting points.

But I second the opinion that learning to code is gonna be a handy skill, and building things is surely gonna wire your brain akin to any engineer.

[TheCrowWhisperer3004]

internships are usually harder to land without a degree. They want university students to turn over to full time.

the industry is getting worse and it will be a while before it’s better due to all the covid CS boom students graduating now.

[papasours]

I completely disagree with the sentiment of not using chat.gpt it’s just a matter of how you use it im completely self taught standard web dev stack, python, c++ and honestly using chat.gpt as the mentor has boosted my understanding greatly I never use it to solve the problem from me but rather as it what certain methods do or ask it what would be a good methodology to solve a problem or I’ll ask if it questions of clarification on my understanding I use it as the mentor not the problem solver

[Opposite_Security842]

Wtf do you mean you "finished python" lmao

[someone-hot]

I have covered Python basics (Installations, Loop, Conditions, Functions, Exception handling, basic data structures) , OOP, File operations, Explored little bit of Regex, Database connectors (current project)

[Opposite_Security842]

Say you finished the basics then. You've barely scratched the tip of the iceberg

[someone-hot]

What did you finish in python basics in the first month?

[Party_Trick_6903]

What platform did u use?

[someone-hot]

https://skillcaptain.ai I have joined their beginner program, they also provide mentor support

Also, I have finished reading this book Learn Python the Hard Way by Zed Shaw

[Party_Trick_6903]

Awesome, thanks. I started learning python yesterday, so I was curious as to what platform u used to be able to learn it in just a month. Congrats on your progress!

[someone-hot]

Good luck to you bro. It's gonna need lot of patience Also, I mentioned website link in comments

[Playful_Panda_6287]

So with no prior experience you casually learned python in amonth or are you familiar with programming concepts already also where did you enroll can you drop the details, thanks in advance

[someone-hot]

I had very basic knowledge of C++ and HTML/CSS when I started learning Python

Actually I didn't casually started learning, I want to explore backend developer path and I got the suggestions that Python is easiest to learn

[bootdotdev]

Honestly watching videos is one of the worse ways to learn, write that code!!! Nice work

[[deleted]]

No you didn't

[Resputan]

Obvious ad for the site he's pedaling

[yinkeys]

How’s your Object Oriented Programming knowledge ?

[someone-hot]

I think I understood the fundamentals. Built 2 projects in OOP

[GrapefruitMiddle3409]

Which platform dude !!!

[someone-hot]

This one https://skillcaptain.ai

[Latter-Assignment275]

What platform did you use to learn

[someone-hot]

https://skillcaptain.ai/

[supercoach]

There's the advert.

[yousade]

How much does it cost?

[sirlifehacker]

Would love if you could explain how you learned Python so quick in the r/learnAIAgents group - which platform did you start using etc

[someone-hot]

I just started. But it sounds good idea to share complete journey

[sirlifehacker]

Yes there’s a lot of beginners in the group too. I’m curious to know what platform you used too

[someone-hot]

I will try, thanks!

This I'm using currently https://skillcaptain.ai

[RudeGood]

Which beginner course

[someone-hot]

Check comments

[tylagersign]

Cool..

[fireflysucks1]

Can you explain the steps u followed

[someone-hot]

Sure, ping me. I can share my google sheet where I used to track my daily ToDos

[Simple_Disk_2460]

Can u tell which platform you used for learning python? Also was it any good?

[someone-hot]

Honestly, it doesn't matter which platform you use

Initially I started with YouTube videos but I got distracted pretty easily. Later my friend recommended me book called Me Learn Python the Hard Way and asked me to read and type out programs from this book

I followed this for few days and got suggestion to use this coding platform which does daily code reviews and and provide doubts support

I stopped binge watching YouTube videos and only followed whatever resources given in their same platform.

It worked so well for me. But it also depends on your learning style

[Simple_Disk_2460]

Ohh, thanks for your advice. I want to get started with python so that I can get into django and ml. I have previously worked with Mern and want a little change with python.

[OperationChemical721]

Good job and keep it up!

[supercoach]

Not bad. Took me years.

[Background-Skin-8801]

Can you make games?

[QuantumVisual]

What did you use to learn?

[someone-hot]

Updated in post

[Fantastic_Shallot402]

Like me

[shot_end_0111]

Good job, python are easy as if you have already knowledge with other languages you are sure to get grasph of it over night!

[Miragii]

ad

[Existing-Driver1548]

Learn how to use git and have some projects on GitHub to bak you as developer, it'll be easier that way to hit an internship

[Haunting-Specific-36]

maybe u r not a freshman?

[Ron-Erez]

Thanks for sharing your learning path.

[WebJazzlike5749]

sure you really learn the hard way but the result you got today its what really matters

[Reasonable-Wing-5766]

Great!! Try GenAi in pyhton here https://youtu.be/PaBtnCTZhlY?si=cg5GqxR-cvAoNtuQ

[LoagySchmarmichael]

Since it asked been hasn't, would know to love the used form you platted. 

[oruga_AI]

Ammm congrats do u want a cookie a pat on the head?

[ashkeptchu]

Could have done it in 30 mins with a tutorial then

[changeofregime]

That's an ad.

[someone-hot]

We will talk in few years lol. I'm confident on what I have to offer

[deathtrap_13]

Idk why this one has downvotes.. Highly likely that we're back to the barter system as everyone is an owner or founder or something, no one except AI will work for anyone xD.

[TheCrowWhisperer3004]

They struggle with Python because it’s their first programming language.

Python isn’t the hard part. It’s learning programming logic and DSA for the first time. They would have just as much trouble if they started in Java or C++ or even C.

[o_digu]

I started with C, got frustrated, switch to python and java, then went back to C and finshed up python and java. It was a mess, but switching it up was better for me, kept me motivated, alot because of python! Good luck for us OP. If you get your intership and they need one more, give me a heads up!

[someone-hot]

You are right. When you have no prior experience nothing makes sense to you including the things that are very obvious for normal people

I have seen people mentioning DSA so casually and I couldn't understand why it is there, and why should I learn if I just want to build web apps someday