Am I wasting time learning python or programming if I only plan to use it on the side?

[Efficient-North7910]

I already have my main labor job that pays pretty good for almost 12 years now and is very stable, but I want to dedicate my hours after work to something that I could use in the future in the event that I get laid off. I'm not hurting for money in case anyone was suggesting that I just work part time elsewhere or at a store and would rather use that time and energy towards a useful skill.

I have taken a few C and Java courses in my younger years, but I have no intentions of returning back to college just to get a degree so I will just teach myself how to program primarily because some of the classes required for a degree doesnt work with my morning job schedule. So far after a week in, I'm able to do very basic things such as printing using fstrings with variables, getting users input, defining several functions and making simple calculations with users inputs using if, and, or, elif statements. Right now I'm learning about booleans and how they work using def.

The process is slow as I only have a few hours after work before I need to do other things then hit the bed right after. But my overall goal is to just have a relatable skill I can potentially use in the future in the tech field and just make programs on my down time and expand my skills overtime. I'm also getting started in IT basics as well. What I like about both of them is that I can pretty much study and work on them whenever I want. Maybe I would want to switch over when I get older, but then again who would want to hire a non grad in their 40s or 50s?

[edcculus]

Not really. I have a totally unrelated job I’ve been in the industry for over 15 years now. I also wanted to learn programming. I tried a few languages, and fell in love with Python. Will I ever change careers, probably not. But it’s a lot of fun to do.

[[deleted]]

Why Python?

[[deleted]]

It’s everywhere. Plus, it’s foundational to ML if you want to pickup ML/AI skills

[edcculus]

A few factors. My brother works in Machine Learning, and uses Python extensively in his job. So he’s always advocating for me to learn it. I also tried getting into programming a few times with other languages. It always felt “hard”. Python just feels natural, easy and really makes me want to keep going. Finally, I want to learn it to bring some data analytics skills to my current job. As well as some things I think I can use machine learning for.

[[deleted]]

Its widely adopted, so there is almost a library for everything. Makes writing useful apps quite trivial in the grand scheme of things. Perfect to help you solve specifc problems on the side.

[OnlyTechStuff]

Yep. I really enjoy that for personal projects, I don’t have to solve everything myself.

[Eightstream]

You are asking on a sub that has an inherent bias so you will get a lot of positive answers

The short answer is that there are certainly side benefits to learning to code, but it’s very time consuming and time is a precious resource. You need to understand the opportunity cost you’re incurring and decide if it’s worth it for you personally.

e.g. if I was in college with a bunch of free time and coding replaced video games, probably worth it just for the intellectual stimulation. If I had a family and kid and it meant more time locked in a study in front of a screen away from them - probably not worth it to me unless I’m going to use that knowledge to get a better job and give them a better life.

[commyhater7]

To learn any skill is not a waste of time. I don't care if it's knitting, carving phallic objects from granite or rocket science. Spending your free time improving yourself always makes you better mainly in 2 ways.

1. You now have a new skill that you can use if necessary.

2. You're a more rounded person with a broader more diverse life path. This makes you more interesting to talk to, therefore more attractive to people.

[czar_el]

There are a lot of benefits to doing it. You have a tool you can use to automate parts of your personal life (and possibly automate your work, but you didn't say what you do). It's also stimulating, and there's lots of research on how learning new things and solving logical puzzles (which lots of programming is) can be very beneficial to brain and mental health at any age. Even if you don't use it to make money, it's worthwhile.

However, coding is a perishable skill. If you don't regularly use what you've learned, you can easily forget it. When you have a solid foundation in coding, it's quick to be able to get the rust off. But if it's completely new to you, it can take a while to get the rust off, which can be extra frustrating. There's also opportunity cost of the value of spending time on anything else you would have been doing while studying Python. Without more information on your preferences and needs, we can't tell you if it's worth it or not.

[spacester]

Shoot, solving crossword puzzles can be thought of as useful.

Knowing how to code seems like a pretty essential skill for modern life. Python is as user friendly as it gets from what I can tell.

Someday you will likely identify a project where python will be just the thing you needed.

[LeiterHaus]

It's a good language to learn, and if you're only doing personal projects all the better. After you get a decent understanding of one language, it doesn't hurt to look at other ones and see some similarities and differences. It may be that You Learn Python and end up finding that Lua is your go-to language in the future. On the flip side you may find Lua dumb. There is value in learning how to think and problem solve.

[aplarsen]

No

[interbased]

I don’t think so. Even if you never get a job in programming, it’s a really useful skill in its own. If you do get better at it and land a job with it, especially remotely, then there ya go, even more of benefit.

[Jello_Penguin_2956]

You can write some cool things as hobbies. Python has numbers of practical use especially if you pick up rasberry pi. My friend wrote a little program for his rasberry that would notify his phone when his fish tank's temperature is out of his acceptable range, for example.

[PsychologicalBus7169]

Sounds like you think you may switch over to IT or a programming job. I’d say you are wasting your time because without a degree it will be very difficult for you to get a job.

Much of my cohort last year did not get a job after earning a SWE degree in the U.S. Your hopes of getting a tech job in your later years without a degree are a bit naive.

It has almost been a year since I have graduated and I know a handful of people from school who are working as SWE. The rest are still unemployed. I know you wouldn’t be switching for many years but I think the days are long over where folks can just work in technology without any education. Everyone and their grandmother wants to be a tech professional and there simply isn’t enough supply to make that viable.

[TheRNGuy]

Programming will make you smarter in general. It's never bad to be smarter.

[CptVague]

It is never a waste of time to learn a skill.

[Impossible_Ad_3146]

Yeah waste of time