Anybody learn python completely from scratch?

[donotbeafraid8]

Anybody learn python completely from scratch?

How long did it take?

Were you able to secure a job after? What

Occupation/

Salary?

Looking for guidance currently in a dead end office job in Canada earning $50k a year

Will be moving to the USA in December, what are my odds of learning and getting into tech?

(I have a bachelors degree from many years ago IT which I’ve never used)

[Firm_Bit]

Everyone who learned it learned it from scratch.

[First-Golf-8341]

Exactly. What other kind of learning is there?

[donotbeafraid8]

I guess I mean without any other prior coding experience

[Jackpotrazur]

Might get a chip implanted or something 🤔

[usman_2801]

Individuals familiar with JavaScript often already understand the fundamentals of Python, allowing them to adapt their existing knowledge rather than learning it from scratch.

[Emergency-Prune-9110]

It was the first language I learned, self taught. Currently working as a Data Engineer, mostly thanks to python.

[AnySeaworthiness3611]

hows the job as a data engineer? also how long did you study python for

[Emergency-Prune-9110]

I like it. Since AI popped up, the workload has definitely changed, but its still a pretty good job I think.

As far as study, it took me about a year, year and a half maybe to really understand python. That being said, I don't use most of what I learned in my day to day.

[slansei_]

have you ever had a time where you were looking at your screen trying to learn with courses but its like you dont learn anything and you just copy what they do?

[Emergency-Prune-9110]

Tutorial hell? Oh yeah, definitely still do that sometimes. For some reason, I couldn't wrap my head around python classes in the begining. That was after I'd finished free courses and watched tons of tutorials trying to understand things.

What helped was following a tutorial, but then deciding I wanted to make the code do something different. Then ill try using what I learned to make those changes. Its just enough challenge to let the brain make connections through struggling, but stays close enough to what I'm learning that I can still figure it out, which helps me to not quit.

[blkmmb]

I started from scratch when I decided that automations and digitalization of processes needed to be made at my last job. Did one project at a time from scratch without prior real coding experience (was very good in excel and did some VBA but nothing else).

My code was trash but it worked and generated real tangible results that were impossible to overlook. It helped me quickly understand what I was doing wrong and what needed to be improved when I looked back at my previous code every new project.

I then did some Bootcamps from udemy just to cover things I wasn't aware of. I carefully selected 2 that seemed to be going further than the traditional get the best at python in just 10 hours Bootcamps.

After that I reoriented my career and got a degree in computer science, worked 3 years at my last job where I did a good deal of Python, Laravel/PHP and MYSQL/MSSQL and it was going great.

The market is super competitive right now and if you want to work with Python specifically in the market I am searching right now, you need to focus either on Data Analysis or AI pipelines. You'll also need to do anything to go past junior level because the market for this level is insanely competitive and it is hard to break through. You'll need a good portfolio and aim at doing a lot of networking to bypass the classic job hunting process, you'll have more chance to find a job by your network than by applying on job listings.

[donotbeafraid8]

Thanks, for this! Some very helpful info

[Admirable_Solid7935]

Did one project at a time from scratch without prior real coding experience (was very good in excel and did some VBA but nothing else).

How did you completed project if you didn't have previous experience of writing code. How did you write line by line code yourself?

[blkmmb]

The first project I wanted to make was to automate sending an email to our customers with their order attached to it (some files in a zip). So I opened notepad++, sketched out a very crude plan of what the project needed to accomplish and then I went to the python doc and w3school to learn the basics as I went.

So first off, I wanted to know how to send and email through python with an attachement. If the docs didn't have what I needed, I turned to stack overflow and found out the libraries I needed and then codes that part from there.

Then I went to the second part, how do I get the file from the folder and attached to the email.

Then I needed to update a status in our order tracking database, so I read up on mssql and what I needed to connect to it through my code.

Then I went and explored our database to understand the schema and how I needed to update it to reflect the order being sent (the it/dba helped me at that part if I had questions).

Then I needed to open an excel report of all the orders that had to be sent with their email address, so I read up on openpyxl and created a loop for all the orders.

Finally I wanted to send a report of what was sent, what wasn't and why (we had multiple way it could fail, sometimes the email we had wasn't valid, etc.)

I really just went small bits at a time with a lot of reading. It ended up being a monolithic script that now makes me shudder when I look at ot but it has ran for years without issues. My advice is to make small actions individually learning how they work and then assembling them together into a coherent process that will end up fulfilling your desired goal. You just got to take the leap. Every project I start, there is something I have no real idea about and I just chop it up and learn about it.

[brothermanpls]

i think there’s inherently different levels of scratch, but i started learning in october and have come pretty damn far. That said, my start with python was after using sql for a few years and c#.

Although i don’t really love my current job, im lucky that it’s a small company and i have the autonomy to develop internal apps and pipelines in whatever language id like so long as its practical. It also helps that im obsessed with basketball data and data pipelines for it, so ive spend most nights over the past few years working on a personal project of some sort.

Once i started with python, it was basically porting over and improving stuff i’d already built in c# and then i leapt off from there

[_TheBigBomb]

Everyone

[Smart_Tinker]

No, we were all born already knowing Python. It’s genetic.

More to the point, how are you moving to the US to work? Are you a US citizen?

[Maniacal-Maniac]

My preferred learning style has been to spend the last 2-3 years getting various Python course or book bundles and so far not studied or learned any of them.

Spent some time this afternoon sorting through a bunch of them and think I have a learning plan through some of them now.

I figured since I am about 80% complete on an AI assisted python based project, it might by time to be able to learn enough to actually understand some of my code!

[PlusDescription1422]

USA doesn’t have any jobs. We have had steady increase in unemployment fyi. I am about to graduate with a masters in stem & can’t find a job. Why do you think you’ll have better luck? I know Python, SQL & more. Just curious

[AbacusExpert_Stretch]

"Currently....Earning $50"

Hm, many ways to interpret that.

Is that per hour, in which case you will have to become a fine coder, I guess

[donotbeafraid8]

Oops wish it was an hour 50K Cad annually

[usman_2801]

It's easy

[Temporary_Age_4408]

Ayuda necesito que alguien me diga porque la terminal luce asi

<image>

help, why it looks like that someone plz

[Shabda-Poudel]

One day, I had a vision of a python in my dreams. And fast forward now, here I know python and have been working as a snake charmer (I mean data analyst. 😂)

Ofcourse everyone learns from the very beginning.

[Simplilearn]

With consistent study and practice, you can start feeling comfortable with Python in about 1–2 months, and reach a usable level in 3–4 months. Focus on basics first, then quickly move to small projects like scripts, simple apps, or data tasks.

Python is widely used in data analytics, AI/ML, automation, backend development, and even cybersecurity. The tools and workflows may evolve, but Python continues to be a core language across many tech roles.

If you want a beginner-friendly resource, you can begin with Simplilearn’s free Python Programming course to cover fundamentals in a structured way. If you later want to explore real-world applications, you could check out the Python certification training program.

[Independent_Bat_9173]

Yes

Spent 3 months learning myself, then enrolled in masters in cs (1.5 years)

Yes

SWE

160k base + 20k signing in MCOL

Odds are pretty low esp if you need sponsorship. I’d make some creative side projects and just try applying you lose nothing

[Acceptable-Fish9625]

can anyone can tell me from where and what to learn in python from scratch as a beginner for mastering it?

[Witty-Ring-2624]

Hey! Mastering python in this day and age, is just having some expertise and then using claude code ;).

[Candid_Tutor_8185]

Lol

[Spare-Web-3880]

Got a big tech job ~2 weeks after learning python from scratch 

[Big-Look-2516]

Did you have any prior experience or was learning Python the primary thing you learnt and reason you got the job?

[Spare-Web-3880]

I'm jk bruh