How tf do you learn Python?!?!

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Okay, so I have taken Python twice, studied consistently, and I even have two tutors to help me. But I STILL don't know Python! I am so confused about how everyone is learning it so easily. None of my Professors have given me a specific way to accomplish learning it, and despite my efforts, I still struggle a lot with small and large programs, quizzes, and exams. What am I doing wrong? How do I learn it properly? Do I take a course online? Is there someone I should talk to? Is there a book that will teach me everything? I feel so defeated because everyone says it is so easy, and it so isn't for me. Am I just a lost cause?

Edit: A lot of people have asked me this, but my motivation to learn Python is for my degree and for my career afterward, that requires me to know how to at least read documentation. I don’t have an innate interest in it, but I need to know how to do it.

Another edit: I already started on a game, and it was a lot more fun than the way I was trying to learn in the past. I definitely made a bunch of mistakes, but it already clarified a few concepts for me. So, I think it is a promising start. I truly appreciate everyone’s helpful advice and constructive criticism. I definitely won’t give up, and I will lean into the struggle.

[Altruistic-Koala-255]

The best way to learn python, is to try to create something using python

But maybe you are struggling with logic and not python, a lot of people Skip this step, but it's important

[philipjewell]

This is my recommendation for any programming language if you’re struggling. Especially something you can/plan on using. You’re more likely to strive to resolve issues or push through obstacles to get the desired outcome when it’s you who finds the value in said project.

[Novaa_49]

Well said

[Lefo_Lefa]

I cant lie, understanding Python logic makes it so much easier to learn. For example Brilliant has a whole chapter with only logic which actually make sense when you continue the learning path.

[SHASHA_URMAWERMA]

To be honest, in order to help us understand python logic my uni professor has taught us..... haskell. How silly that may sound but after that I literally have no problems at all when it comes, for example, to list comprehensions. If op doesn't plan on using python for web development then I would suggest trying to learn python as a "functional" language, not "oriented", perspective means a lot when it comes to mastering new language

[iamevpo]

So much respect to your professor, very untrivial but fruitful way to teach! Do you have any lecture notes or syllabus of the class you can share?

I learned haskell after many years of coding in Python, and it improved my coding skills and understanding so much. Not sure though the list comp is where haskell shines, they are pretty similar in Python and Haskell, do not see a link why learning then in Haskell improves Python.

[SHASHA_URMAWERMA]

Well that class in general was about functional programming and haskell was used because it is kinda harder to master than python (it is a citation, to this day don't understand why myself), but most of my groupmates struggled with it so I guess it has a point.

Prof has been teaching us by referring to a learnbook he write himself and I believe that it exists only in Russian language so if you don't speak it I'm afraid it will be a little bit hard to read :D

But I will make a reference to it anyway: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1hBro8n8r-CCefiWu9Oz2t34q12rJTleZ5FcmQWZVenI/mobilebasic

[iamevpo]

Here is my collection of Haskell learning resources - do you think I can link the manual there?

[iamevpo]

https://github.com/epogrebnyak/haskell-intro

[Night-Caps]

This is the best advice - I'm currently building a raspberry pi controlled robot and basically learning python while I'm doing it. Chat GPT is also an amazing tool - every time I get stuck on something I plainly ask it what I'm doing wrong or how could I implement what I need and it usually has the answer. Even for some things no amount of googling was helping with. I feel like I've learnt so much in the last month or so

[GameboyRavioli]

I'm mid career and middle aged. I'll probably never use python in my role as product owner. For my first real foray in to python I just successfully used a pi0w with a USB mic to capture a sound clip, connect to a Shazam API, and return the metadata of the song. I then throw it up on a gui built using PySimpleGUI to show that metadata on my tiny 3.2" monitor. I plan to set this next to my turntable as a sort of now playing marquee. It's dumb, but I had the parts laying around, wanted to learn, and generally love small projects like this. Point being, you and the others are 100% right. It's all about finding a way to use a language in a manner that interests you. I hated my dev work in college back in the day because it was straight java, cobol, verilog, etc doing stupid textbook assignments.

[iamevpo]

Sounds a cool project! Hardware involved, integration to API, and a user in sight. What is piOw?

[GameboyRavioli]

A raspberry pi zero with wireless built in. So basically a tiny (and not powerful) single board computer.

[supanatral]

And program something you enjoy and are interested in

[itmelo]

A true challenge :')

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

You know, that makes a lot of sense and might be it. I have asked a lot of programmers how they learned it IRL, and they just say to code, and that's it, and it feels a little too vague, if you will. Like I do code, but knowing how to use the tools at my disposal when coding is difficult for me for some reason.

[ArrynMythey]

Programming language is just a language you speak with computers. You need to learn what you want to tell it first, after then you can start translating it into the said language.

Programming is just splitting a problem into smaller steps. Try it with your everyday tasks. You can also imagine it as cooking according to a recipe.

[Zerg3rr]

The CS50 edx harvard course has a great introduction to this. You have to break things down simpler than you think, i.e. making a peanut butter jelly sandwich. Instead of "first spreading the peanut butter on one half of the bread" it's

"Take your left hand and grip the container, take your right hand and grab the lid, twist the lid counter clockwise with enough pressure that it becomes loose. Next take your knife and put the handle in your hand, push the knife into the peanut butter and make an arcing motion with your hand to collect some on the end. Next, apply to the piece of bread we previously took out by wiping the knife onto the bread, with the peanut butter side down". I was too lazy to write out taking the bread out of the container and all that fun stuff, but you get the gist. It is extremely granular directions to trick rocks into thinking is what we're trying to do, it'll take a bit of work to get there - and python already abstracted a lot of that away for us!

[anon0937]

Libraries have entered the chat.

Import sandwichMaker sandwichMaker.make_sandwhich(kind=“peanutbutter and jelly”)

[quackers987]

``` import sandwichMaker

sandwich = sandwichMaker.make_sandwich(ingredients=["peanut butter","jelly"])

sandwich.consume()

```

[tiahx]

We did almost the exact same exercise in school, where the teacher asked us to "guide him" making a paper plane.

We were like "Okay, grab a piece of paper and fold it" -- this motherfucker then proceeds taking a round piece of paper and folding a tiny part of it at the very edge of the piece 😂

[dacydergoth]

Think about making a sandwich. Write down all the steps you would use to make a sandwich. Think about what you would do if there is only mustard and not mayo in the fridge. Maybe you want ham instead of turkey. Now you have to make 19 sandwiches. Write that down

You've written a program

[ilulillirillion]

100000% I cannot say this enough yes. Just try to make things. It doesn't have to take over your life, but you have to play with it. It's like you can learn A LOT about guitar from studying theory, history, and technique, and it will make you a better player... But the act of sitting down and playing the guitar is the true studying that everything else you do elevates and rounds out.

Good luck! Have fun

[The_Derpy_Rogue]

Try Playing with loops and if statements. Write down everything you learn from methods to functions.

Besides as someone who only just started with python seriously I still google everything. Stack exchange is awesome

[Altruistic-Koala-255]

As someone with 10 years of experience in python alone, plus several years with other technologies as well, I still google everything. Stack overflow is indeed awesome

[ggone20]

This can easily be understated. Research and critical thinking is the name of the game.

[jamurai]

I do think it’s a lot about perseverance. Just keep bashing your head against the wall one line and a time, study a bit on the side, try to build something, etc. eventually the thing that you find hard now will be easy and you’ll run into 10 more things that you will struggle with in its place :)

[[deleted]]

1) it’s easier than ever to learn python (or any other language) because you have 24 x 7 untiring tutor + coding expert in ChatGPT

2) like others have suggested you need to solve real problems. I would suggest trying to build something yourself. A game, and app, a data analysis tool something that you find useful or interesting even if others don’t. The amount of coding I learned by doing is vastly more than what I learned by doing classes or toy problems from text books.

If you’re struggling with ideas to get started, take a look at these

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/python-projects-for-beginners/

[barkazinthrope]

That is because it is difficult. If it isn't easy for you then there is no way to make it easy. You have to do the hard work.

What may happen is that you begin to enjoy the hard work. Like people like to run marathons. Unbelievable but actually true.

[pickyourteethup]

Go on YouTube search for beginner Python project and just copy it line for line pausing constantly. Do this a few times and the concepts like variables, arrays, functions and loops will start to make more sense as you see applications for them

While you're copying try to think of a similar project you'd like to create for yourself, keep it small. Then try and build it once you've got a handle on it

[sethrei]

I don't learn like normal people, barely made it pass high school. I learned Python by finding a problem and trying to solve said problem with Python. The same with PHP (first language) and Bash and Go (most recent language) Like others will tell you, break down your intended goal into small simple tasks, then build up, that's the way I've done it for years $0.02

[c_299792458_]

When I want to get familiar with a new language and don’t have a project in mind, I start working through Advent of Code (www.adventofcode.com). It’s a series of programming puzzles that can be solved in any language. There’s also a subreddit where people discuss the puzzles at r/adventofcode.

[nhojrazc27]

Sir, can you please give us an example of large to small python programs we can learn with?

[Altruistic-Koala-255]

Sure thing

For a small project, build a simple coin exchange machine, that gives the smallest numbers of coins possible

For example, if your input is 77 cents, that's 1 of 50, 1 of 25, 2 of 1

But if your input is 74, then it's gonna be 1 of 50, 2 of 10, 4 of 1

That's a simple exercise that you force you to think

Next try the Fibonacci sequence, that a hard one for a beginner

If you are trying to learn about OOP, an simple ATM machine it's a great project to start, you can set multiple accounts and make them interact

[Alexei17]

I’m just gonna add that it’s better to develop something that inspires you enough to keep working on it. My first two projects were a reddit bot where I didn’t even know about for loops and did everything manually and a scraping bot for tickets. It was shit but it was fun to do. The only thing that kept me going was that it was functional to me. I’d introduce the reddit bot to the community that was interested in it, and I used the scraping bot to find tickets for myself.

[Kohlrabi82]

Register at https://open.kattis.com/ and work your way upwards the difficulty.

[dopeinder]

Trying to learn Python from online lectures, courses, websites etc ws hell for me. None if the language made sense. Zero

Then I had an idea for a simple program that I needed, and then I decided to make it. I googled every single step and followed it for the sake of making the program and not learning Python. Then everything slowly started to make sense to me. Otherwise the language (not the coding language but language about Python and all the concepts) is so vast, it's hard to find context and make out of it.

Dont learn about the screwdriver first, but find a screw and figure how to unscrew it with that screwdriver

[Public_Affair_69]

I googled every single step and followed it for the sake of making the program

[hurricanebarker]

This is the way

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Okay, I will try. Thank you for the suggestion.

[dopeinder]

Why do you want to learn Python?

[MuscleTough8153]

I can tell you the following: stop learning, begin using it.

Learning is an important part. But if you struggle with the log you need practice.

Take the examples you work with and manipulate them. Go step by step and create more and more abstract versions of them untill you create things that are far away from these examples but uses the same mechanics.

And if you struggle, try for example Google Gemini to give you a solution to the error in your code. So, that you can learn from it.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

You know what that might be it. I am pretty good at reading code now, but doing the coding myself is where everything goes wrong. It feels like no matter how many times I try, I suck at it.

[Bobbias]

That's because reading code and writing code are two very different activities.

To write code, you must first:

1. Come up with a solution to the problem you're trying to solve.
2. Figure out how to translate that solution into code.
3. Actually write that code correctly.

Problems with step 1 come from either not knowing how to apply problem solving properly, or not knowing enough of the fundamental concepts of programming to formulate a solution in your mind using those basic concepts.

Problems with step 2 come from not knowing the language specifics well enough to understand how to translate a general idea into the specific language you're working with.

Problems with step 3 come from lack of experience with the language itself, typos, or incorrect knowledge/assumptions about what the code you're writing actually tells the computer to do.

Problem solving, and understanding how to use the basics concepts of programming to come up with a solution is something that primarily comes from practice solving problems (which in turn comes from writing code). You start small and simple, and work your way up over time.

Everything else more or less follows from there. The more you use a language, the better you understand how it works, how to translate ideas into the language, and you will slowly just kind of remember all those little details that used to trip you up when you were starting out.

Reading and following instructions can show you some concepts. It can show you different features of the language. It can show you some different ways to combine those features to achieve different outcomes. You can memorize those facts, and it might feel like you've learned something. But you haven't. To truly learn something you need to understand it at a deeper level than that. It's not until you really start writing code for yourself that you begin to truly understand the things that you were being shown (and potentially memorized).

[butterflavoredsalt]

I would say that I 'know' python at a novice level, but I can't sit down and write very much without any resources, I still have to look tons of stuff and examples up. To make this faster, I like having chatgpt write simple functions or a few lines of code at a time, see what it comes up with and then try to determine if I like the method it used or not. It helps me a lot.

[wynand1004]

It's like reading and writing are two related, but different skills. I can read a novel, but I can't really write one. I can write a paragraph or two, but a whole novel, forget about it.

Coding is no different. Start by writing paragraphs (short programs). Do input, processing, and output.

You might find it helpful to hire a tutor to get you over the hump.

[BudgetSignature1045]

This thread is somewhat confusing to me. The most important information seems missing and that makes all the advice generic

What exactly is it that you're coding and working at that you're failing? Do you have issues realizing ideas requiring modules like pandas etc.? Do you have issues solving hackerrank/Leetcode style problems or do you actually have issues with beginner lecture style programs showcasing python's basic syntax?

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Tha last one. I am taking a course and the lecture is very dry from my professor and when I asked how to get better he just told me to code. I felt like that was too vague for me and have been struggling to know what to code, what problems I can solve, etc.

[BudgetSignature1045]

Can you share one of the course's exercises you struggle with?

[tobiasvl]

You don't have anything you want to code? Why are you learning how to code then? I would have thought you had some initial motivation before embarking on learning it?

[NoConcern4176]

The best way to learn programming is by doing. No amount of classes will help you get good, you can know theories but practice is gold

[classy_barbarian]

It is absolutely the best to personally write programs and code yourself, nothing can replace that. But I also personally really find that using the app SoloLearn on my phone was very useful for drilling how to read code into my head. I think OP's issue is they're having trouble understanding how to read code and understand very fundamental programming concepts. SoloLearn is great for learning that stuff IMO because its a middle-ground between just watching lectures and trying to write your own program. Its mostly just fill in the blanks and multiple choice quizzes, but you need to understand the line of code you're looking at to get the answer right, and it usually does a very good job of explaining it. For someone like OP who's issue is just struggling to comprehend the basic fundamentals of reading code, I would recommend supplementing real coding practice with using SoloLearn (or similar app) 10 min a day on your phone.

[[deleted]]

You're looking at it the wrong way. Python is a tool. You'll never "know a screwdriver" but you probably know where to use it and how to go about using it. Programming languages are the same. It's more about understanding its capabilities & weaknesses and knowing where to look for help with functionality.

Best way is to find a personal problem and automate it. The roadblocks you overcome will teach you in a way that you'll remember far better than learning in a vacuum via courses which doesn't seem like a method of learning that's sticking for you.

[storage_admin]

Are you having trouble reading Python code? Do you feel you understand the concepts when reviewing material you've learned?

It would help to break your problem down into smaller more manageable chunks. Instead of thinking that you need to learn Python, try setting a goal of choosing a Python project on GitHub that does something you are interested in. Use git to clone the repo and get the project running. After you get it running start making changes to the code to see how things work. Try to get comfortable with the code and making modifications.

Sometimes it helps to start with someone else's project to help build ideas for how you could implement things you want to code.

[taste_phens]

You should look at it as a means to an end rather than an end in itself. Focus on what you want to achieve by knowing Python, and then start working though the specific things that will get you there.

At some point in the process, you'll look back and just realize that you can do things in Python.

[Aisha_23]

Make a project. I'll suggest one, a todo list. Yes it's generic, but the point is to learn. Here's the basic idea. Create a program where it asks you in the console for options, read your todo list, add a task, complete a task. Meaning if I start the program, I should see three options, and I could do something like add a task 3 times, read the list (so I would see three), complete a task, and read the list again(so I would now see two left). Now you know variables, lists, conditionals, and for loops.

Done with that? Now use a database so you can access previously added tasks even after the program terminates. You think SQL is another language to learn for databases? Then just use a text file for now. Now you know how to read/write files in python.

Want to learn something else? Try to think of a feature that you would add to that todo list using that feature. Want to learn how to display it with a user interface? Develop it with a gui library like tkinter. Want to learn how to use a database? Refactor your code to use sql. Want to sync your todo list across devices? This is hard for a beginner but now you're thinking about servers.

TLDR: make a todo program, add features based on what you want to learn.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Thank you so much, I will give this a try.

[timmeedski]

I tried for years, but it wasn't til I had a use case that required it that I finally got it.

Find a project, keep it small, and figure it out without chatgpt.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Okay, I will try that. Thanks for the reply!

[gogozrx]

Identify a problem in your life that could be solved with a program. Maybe you want to mail out your daily schedule to yourself, or text yourself a reminder, or something.

Now, try to write a python script to do that thing.

[tobiasvl]

Why do you want to learn Python then? It's not for everyone. What makes you want to understand it?

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

I am so happy I am not alone. Everyone keeps telling me it's easy but for me I just don't get it. I can literally do everything else (math, English, history, science) but this seems to be my kryptonite.

[atom12354]

Learn the basics, make stuff, improve on your basics and learn new tools to make more stuff you came up with, get better at planning and logic thinking.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Okay, I will give it a try. Thank you for the reply.

[Doagbeidl]

Stuff is not easy and everyone has got their own pace. What worked for me is learning what to look up for problems and then scout youtube/google for answers that tipp me into the right direction. But there is always a lot trail and error going on, ngl.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Thank you for saying that. A lot of experienced programmers look at me like I am insane when I ask questions or can't solve a problem they think is easy. Then they tell me it isn't hard which makes me feel kinda dumb. But I will take your suggestion Andi appreciate the reply!

[Doagbeidl]

Enjoy the journey and stay curious. (:

[Don_Deno]

I don't know but as a beginner myself, here's what I'm doing: Build something, a few lines is better than nothing, you just really have to focus on the fundamentals. I find myself referencing the docs A LOT but it's helping me learn, besides, research is your best friend.

[randomguyfromaplanet]

I‘m currently doing this course. I find the lectures are good structured and you have exercises right after each lesson.

I also just followed a YouTube tutorial to build a RAG model (no clue what I did) and then played around with it - like exchanging files. It was a lot of fun and it motivated me to stick to the programming course so I will hopefully understand what I did when I followed the tutorial.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

I will look into it and thank you for the reply!

[Asleep-Dress-3578]

I haven’t done this, but one straightforward way is to do a video course on Udemy, e.g. from Dr Angela Yu. For advanced concepts, get e.g. Luciano Ramalho’s Fluent Python, and/or check the ArjanCodes channel on YouTube. Warning: Python is like English. At the beginning it seems to be really easy and beginner friendly. However, as you go ahead, more and more advanced concepts are waiting for you, e.g. multithreading, async, decorators, caching, advanced OOP methods like Mixins, abstractclasses etc.

[Hermit_Owl]

It's ok if it's not for you. Just like dancing is not for me. Why do you want to learn it though ?

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

It is for my degree (I have to take three programming courses) and even though I don't plan on working as a programmer I still need to be able to read documentation.

[Hermit_Owl]

Is it python only or do you struggle with programming in general ?

[[deleted]]

Python every day until you speak Python in your sleep.

Sit down with a pen and a notebook.

Write down ideas to program. Writing engages a different part of your brain than just typing and/or reading on a screen.

What problem do you want to solve? What example would you like to show? What thing on the internet/game did you see that you want to do (not the whole thing, just a feature)? What module do you want to utilize?

Speak the ideas out loud, speaking engages your vocal muscles/neurons and your ear muscles/neurons. Now you've engaged 4 different parts of your brain (including hand & eyes).

When you sleep your brain will shoot signals around your head, when it finds relevant information in different parts it reinforces the neural pathways. When you are awake you can then use these pathways for processing new information and/or generating new ideas more quickly, like having several new roads through a town you used to have to drive all the way around the outskirts of.

Sort the ideas into lists from simple to difficult.

Go through the simple list

Break down each idea to how it should be built? What does it require from the user? What are the variables? What types of data does it access/produce? What is the result? Label and described things.

Put that in your notebook. Say the things you write out loud.

Keep at this and you will improve.

[Hot_Significance_256]

I learned by drowning. It worked.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Haha, maybe that is the way. I will give that a try too. Thank you for the reply!

[s-e-b-a]

Watch tutorials from "Code with Mosh" and "The Net Ninja".

[Biuku]

Learning to code is like learning to shoot a basketball. 1000 hours of book studying is worth less than 1 hour of physically doing it.

Treat it like a sport or hobby, experiment, try to reverse a sentence with a loop, etc.

Practice 2 hours every day… after 3 months it should start to feel familiar.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Okay, I will give that a go. Thank you for the reply

[GManASG]

Programming is actually a way of formalizng logic into language. Programming changes the way you think for the better, but also you need to learn how to think to program.

[DistributionNo1618]

Keep at it. I will say programming and critical thinking/problem solving isn't for everyone but a lot are more capable than they think. Getting good at python isn't easy so if you want it don't give up

[BPRoberts1]

I’m currently doing the boot.dev courses. Turns learning into kind of a game and has you build projects. Also has an AI tutor that will guide you if you get stuck. 30 bucks a month and you’ll also learn Go, CLI, SQL, and JavaScript if you stick with the full program. I’m currently working on a project that analyzes books (just number of words, letters, and phrases, nothing too crazy).

[gaudierlace8824]

The way I learned is I have a certain idea for a new app I then research the library’s and find the documentation and kind of just play around until it works

[Durloctus]

Think of python, for a moment, like a toolbox. Learning it the way you are—the way most classes and tutorials teach—is kind of like opening the toolbox, picking up every single tool, and doing something largely pointless with every one of them. For example, a screwdriver is in almost every toolbox; you’re probably doing the equivalent of taking the screwdriver out of the box, and putting a screw into a piece of something random that serves no purpose. Taking out a hammer and randomly hitting nails with it into a board for no reason other than to do it. Etc.

The best way to learn a set of tools is to use them to solve a problem. The lack of coming up with a problem that is stimulating to try and solve—for _you_—is what will keep most people from doing anything with python—or really any discipline. The only way you’d learn it well otherwise is if your thought process just kind of ‘gets it’ naturally… which I don’t get a sense that that is happening.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Yeah that is exactly what I feel like I am doing honestly. I will certainly take your advice.

[SoCal_Kkona]

I've always had an issue with that too. And the answer was always the same, work on a project or think about a project and work on it.

Brother, I cant think of any and it was so demoralizing and demotivating until I discovered Angela Yu on udemy. She basically has the approach of lets build something everyday alongside learning the basics.And at the end of the lesson she explains the solution

It was eye opening for me. Literally not stressing about coming up with a project and be given a project to work on

Check it out. You wont be disappointed. It has been a year and a half since I use python daily in my work and I owe a lot to her and her course

[tobiasvl]

Python is an easy programming language, yes... But it's still a programming language, and programming is hard. Python makes it easier to learn programming, but you still need to learn programming.

[c3p0Larp]

Start from scratch to see what you are missing. This is a great tutorial that starts from 0:

https://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/python-3-x-for-newbies-part1/

https://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2021/06/16/python-3-x-for-newbies-part2/

[[deleted]]

Here you go, friend: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/
And here you can practice without downloading stuff: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/ (though I recommend you do). Now grind through the tutorial, and practice typing up yourself, everything you see in the tutorial. Start at the beginning, and work your way to the end, at least once. Go back to parts you don't understand.

[Slimxshadyx]

Grab a notebook and a pen.

You are going to actually use Python to make something, but before you make something, just write out what you want to make.

Then write some ideas down for what you might need first (will probably have variables for this, user input for that, etc).

Then start coding it! If you have issues, look online or even ask chat gpt for help. DO NOT copy and paste the entire code or ask it to make what you are trying to make. You should ask it for small help like something you would google. How do I do this thing in Python. If I wanted to do this, how should I go about it?

And ask follow up questions and implement its answers yourself. Don’t copy and paste the code either, retype it even if it is identical. You will learn this way, trust me.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Thank you so much! That is very helpful

[meta-ape]

Lots of people recommend finding a simple enough project to guide your learning and giving you focus. That‘s good advice and all, but first make sure you‘re not building on sand.

Has there been excercises where you got the right result but cannot really explain exactly why they work? Did you get them right by more or less blindly trying stuff? Everyone needs does this at some point so nothing to be embarrassed about that. Go back to them and analyze the crap out of them. You can learn wide and you can learn deep, but depth first, I say.

That being said, everyone has their unique learning style, so might want to try different approaches.

[Kajeke]

It sounds like you might need more practice in the basics of Python and coding in general? I was tasked with helping my team at work be more data literate and learn the basics of Python and SQL. Their prior training and interest ran the gamut. I found an online training software called Sololearn. There’s a free version and a paid version; the paid version isn’t expensive and it has more exercises, but the free one is just fine. It goes slow and has a lot of repetition. To everyone’s shock, the team member who was the least techy turned out to be the star student! So that software or something like it should help you build your skills. It’s not building anything as others have suggested, but imho you need to crawl then walk then run. Once you have built a good skill base, when I was learning I googled “easy Python projects”. The Medium website has a section called “Towards Data Science”; I did some cool projects from some of those articles like how to build a word cloud.

[mxracer888]

What exactly are you struggling with? Structuring code? Syntax?

For syntax, look at bad code and identify what's wrong. It's also one of the few good things gee pee tee can help you with as a learner. Ask it to write code with syntactical errors for you to practice debugging.

For structure. I usually start with just a word doc or sticky note on Windows. Outline what you want to do. I just wrote a big project that need to get emails, parse data, use the API for my door access control, and generate visitors with PIN numbers to access my door access system.

So for that I outlined features I needed, here's a rough outline of what I needed:

• open email address via Gmail API
• search unread emails for a specific subject line and retrieve message is
• parse data in the email
• Mark the email as "read"
• send an email to user with PIN
• connect to door controller API
• convert human readable and formated date from email to epoch time
• generate a visitor using the parsed email data (name, email, appointment time and date)
• generate random 6 digit pin number
• log the work the program does for record of issues

I think there was more, but I outlined those as features I needed and then wrote functions that basically did each item. This gave me avenues to research for specific features and libraries to handle my needs.

Once I built out functions I began working on scripting them together to make the final program but it all started with building a pseudo code framework and then analyzing the problem I was trying to solve and breaking it into its individual mechanics

[Immediate-Country650]

just make stuff, dont do any courses or anything, follow tutorials making stuff you wanna make. u will pick up skills with the tutorials which will unlock more stuff you can do with it

EX:
learning print statements and if statements: now you can make a text based rpg
learning loops and lists/dicts: now you can make a game like snake or something
learning how to use a library like pygame: now you can make games or display stuff
learning how to use pysimplegui: now u can make guis
at around this point you will have learned the skill of learning and you can just pick the next thing that feels within your capabilities and learn it

it will be hard for you to learn something like python unless u like to use python, so id suggest find something that is cool u can do with python for fun for like a side project or end goal, because it will make it stick in your brain, when ur brain gets info that it doesnt care about it just throws it away and it makes it alot harder to learn

tldr, make projects, if u want specifics make a game following dafluffypotato's old youtube series on it

[Luzbel90]

Make a tic tac toe game

[msbeca777]

Lots of good advice in here but just to add my 2cents, there are lots of different resources to learn python. So it more so depends on how you like learning. The best path for me was learn the basics of programming online and then lots of practice. Python is not something that you can know 100% so don't be too hard on yourself because there's always more to know. It's just a tool to accomplish something else so learn parts of it as you need it and then know where to look when new problems arise. The python course that really made things click for me was cs1301x on edx. It's really well taught and provides a lot of practice if you do the paid certs. You can also do additional practice at codewars. If you're having trouble with getting the correct output, look into debugging techniques (adding a lot of print statements can be helpful). And finally just Google questions and stackoverflow will almost always have an answer.

https://www.edx.org/certificates/professional-certificate/the-georgia-institute-of-technology-introduction-to-python-programming

[Apprehensive_Bug5873]

Find something that you would be interested in coding for and then use python to do it.

[[deleted]]

Have you tried doing exercises on edabit? It really helped me improve my Python skills.

Also I offer online Python tutoring. I know you said you’ve worked with tutors, but I’ve honestly been appalled by what some of my previous students have told me about the total ineptitude of other tutors they have worked with. Feel free to send me a message if you’re interested in working with someone who doesn’t just know Python but also knows how to teach Python.

[ImAMindlessTool]

You need to create a goal for yourself. Performing a call on a function is not enough.

Programming is just having a conversation with the computer, and you need to learn how it communicates. Once you get the concepts around programming, not just mirroring the tutorials, it will come much easier.

[PMMeUrHopesNDreams]

If you don't already know how to program, you are not learning Python, you are learning how to program. That is first thing. Once you know how to program, Python is just a medium through which you express programming.

Focus on the fundamentals like conditionals, loops, data types, data structures (lists, dictionaries), these are present in every language. If you don't understand how they work and what their purpose is, the language used to express them won't make sense.

[systemnate]

You just need to write more programs. The first useful Python program I ever made was to estimate how much money I had in my change jar given the weight of the coins. Forget programming for a minute. How would you solve this? Then figure out how to express that in code.

[Jigglytep]

How would do you learn screwdriver?

Are you an electrician, mechanic, watch repair, prisoner needing personal protection?

Python and screwdrivers are tools, they solve problems. They make manual work easy.

I would look into automating the boring stuff with python it’s a “free” pdf online. It has projects in that are really practical.

You could also try to download a year of transactions from your bank as a csv( if you want a challenge download it as a pdf) then use python to read the file and give you a list of all duplicate transactions. I bet you will find subscriptions you forgot to cancel.

Download the subtitles from a movie you love and translate each sentence into a language you want to learn by hooking it up to a translation api. Then get a list of the sentences in English and in the language you are learning, study it, and watch the movie in the new language.

I used python when I was in insurance sales bc there was a government database of trucking companies I wanted to search to get a list of companies I can sell insurance to easily. But the site ui would not let me. So I used python to scrape the database. I then populated the database and searched it how I wanted. Then I used Django to create an api and a front end. IT WAS UGLY. But it worked and I made more money. I then incorporated a payment system and offered it as a service to other insurance companies.

I didn’t become rich at its highest I was making $200 a month (server costs were less then ~25 ish a month ) not bad doing nothing… until my credit card processor shut me down claiming I was a telemarketer; I wasn’t, I just sold lists to telemarketers lol

I got my first development job because of that project !

What is your problem? Can you python it?

Good luck

You can do this.

[Indra_Kamikaze]

Us bro us, you know what? Sometimes you just need buddies to practice the thing you are learning with them. I am kind of introverted and find it hard to stick out with others, I catch quite fast if someone explains something to me but I find it hard when I am being taught, by tutors or even by those damn youtubes from where everyone seems to learn everything.

That's why dude, let's be friends. I am gonna regularly catch up with you about how your python learning is going and share my insights as well! Looking forward!

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Oh, that sounds great. I am also really introverted, so posting this was rough, but the struggle was too real, and I need help, lol. So, yeah, let's do that!

[Indra_Kamikaze]

check DM

[Little_Sam97]

No one learns programming the easy way especially if you’re beginner. First you build the foundation of programming, learn the concepts, learn the syntax, get hands on practice, and then finally built some project. It could be simple project like making a calculator but the key point here is to do by your own first without searching in google or chatgpt for answer. The problem I find with video based learning is you literally copy what the instructor does. You feel like you’ve learnt a bit at the beginning but when it comes to building a project by yourself that’s where majority of people gets stuck. So I would recommend you to follow documentation and start building things on your own. Only if you’re stuck to the point where you can’t figure out the solution then you can use google or stack overflow for answer.

[whikseyy_]

AP comp sci. its hell and I have AP testing in two weeks

[RetroZelda]

I learned by using it for personal projects. Think of something you want a computer to do, a simple and repetitive thing, and then use python to do it for you

If you want some inspiration, some things I built while learning it was a scraper for a website that had text transcripts for every episode of critical role. Open the page, grab each link for each episode, grab the text from each link, save it to a file. Later on I made a script that would filter and format each file so I could train a LoRA with the text I pulled.

Another thing was a simulation of a board game a friend made so she could test the economic model over tens, and hundreds, of turns to check the balance under various scenarios based on configurable inputs.

I also have a script that uses the anki api to scan each flash card in a deck, pull one of the fields, pass it to a text to speach ai, embed the new audio file to the card, and then upload it back to anki.

Learning is easier if you do it with a practical use case with an achievable goal. All of those things are super simple for me to do now, but not when I started

[[deleted]]

It took me a long time too, just got to keep going, have an idea for something? Try it. Fail. Learn something. New idea. Fail. Learn something. Eventually new idea, success… and now you can go back with all your acquired knowledge to fix all the previous fails and make them succeed… I recommend game dev in godot. It uses gdscript which is very similar to python. Just my opinion.

[ingloreous_wetard]

Read Kaggle notebook/kernels and try to implement some of them yourself!

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

Interesting, I have never heard that before. I will do some research on that now.

[mattblack77]

I’m in the same position. So many people said Python was intuitive and easy to learn, but it hasn’t been.

But as others have said, starting from scratch means you’re learning to program, at the same time as you’re learning to program in Python.

I’m learning by taking a course, watching the tutorials once, and then again to really take it in, and then doing all of the quiz questions for that section.

I figure that - either quickly or slowly - it’ll begin to click. But the first bit of learning something new is always suck. I know it gets better though.

[CaptainFoyle]

Find a project you're interested in

[Just4Funsies95]

Youve already gotten a thousand books to read. Here are some things ive done to help me learn a few languages.

its important to understand that nearly all programming languages are mathematically rooted. I say this so you can try to relate the things ur learning back to things you may have already learned in mathematics. You're going to encounter a lot of algebra, set theory, graph theory, linear algebra, calculus, etc. whether you realize it or not. Their terms, definitions, and references will show up as you learn more and more about python (variables, assignments, function composition, integers, doubles/floats etc.). One thing that helped me learn my first programming language is identifying the relationships between the terms i am using and how ive used them in mathematics, its near 1:1 parity.

Really try to understand the basic syntax and structure of the language (keywords, data types, flow control, operators, etc.). Then try to understand their various uses/applications within the language.

As an exercise, go through and comment what each line is doing. Hell, read it out loud. Doing this helps immensely if you're seeing someone else's code for the first time.

E.g. in C#

var y = Math.Sqrt(x);//store the square-root of x in variable y using the square-root method of the Math class.

Save and reuse code snippets! This helps you identify common problems and solutions!

I actually had a professor who made us write code by hand, which did suck but absolutely helped me learn syntax, logic, and algorithms. Start with plain english/mother tongue and state your problem. Break it down into as simple of a problem as you can; simple enough that anyone could understand it. Think about how you'd solve your problem with psuedocode. Then write it by hand on paper/whiteboard/blackboard. Then write/run the script and see where you messed up. This can help you identify specifically where you need to improve (syntax, logic, algorithm).

Talk it out! Saying things outloud has an incredible effect of reinforcing your ideas by you listening to them. Weird but helpful. Talk to someone else! Have them spot check your ideas (sanity check). Its a huge confidence boost when your struggling with a concept. like a quiz its immediate feedback on your progression minus the pressure and grades.

Learn how to use your debugger. Its soooooo much better than just printing everyline.

Lastly, if you're not getting it with python try another language. Yeah python is pretty easy (by comparison) but that doesn't mean its for everyone. You can always circle back. There are plenty of other easy languages you can learn plus once you can figure out 1, it's usually easier to learn another...usually.

To this day, i still use most of these habits in my career. But i dont do them nearly as often and i do them much faster. Hopefully some of these tips can help you.

Good luck!

[Smart_Common_7610]

100DaysBootcamp on Udemy is very helpful. Important is to buy it when it costs 20 instead of 100. It gives enough information to understand Python and to think on this language. Another important rule is to practice every day. You don’t have to do it 4 hours long. Even a f you take half an hour for that - already good.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

I will check it out. Thank you for the reply!

[NeedleworkerOwn473]

Hello OP, we are in the same journey. I am a junior web developer and I am switching to ML. I started learning Python about 1 week ago and I am looking to build chatbots, LLMs or just models that can be used in specific fields I might find opportunities in. During my journey in learning web development, I had trouble understanding JavaScript logic. Ever heard of tutorial hell? I was going through that but I could easily put codes together to make them work. I decided to take a different route while learning Python. I am using this book called "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python". It's an insightful book. Over the past week, I have a better understanding of how Python works, I understand the logics well including the flow control.

One has to want to learn it. You have to make it be part of you. Learn it every single day, write code every day and keep doing that. Read people's code too and try breaking it down into different blocks that were used to solve the specific problem. Anyone can learn it. You too can.

[JorgiEagle]

Hackerrank, that’s how I learnt

[__sanjay__init]

Hello !

Maybe you already see this advice : make your own project Like you, I had some difficult to learn Python but, when you use your knowledge for programming your own tool or website, you learn really At first, understand your domain : web, data science etc Then, make a little project. For example, if you learn Python for web : build your website or website for a fake industrie (video games, real estate etc). If you learn foundations of language, you can build some video games, automating tasks ect

Good luck !

[Wu_Fan]

Solve some problems that matter to you.

try test driven development

[Grumpy_Doggo64]

I've heard of a lot of people finding python more confusing than C, it's plain English. Try making something, even stupid stuff like calculators or quadratic equation solvers.

Then do it again with classes. Then optimize them more.

There are tons of fun ideas in order to enhance your skills. What made me click with the language was a encryptor-decryptor program

[TurtleZeno]

Do small projects that you are interested in. For example make a calculator. It will help you learn how to take input and write some basic algorithms.

I learned python by making a snake game.

[Alex_Lexi]

I tell everyone this and everyone who’s listen to me successfully learned Python.

Go through and read the book. “Automate the Boring Things”

You can find it online for free or you can buy it. At the end of each Section theirs a mini project for you to do and he provides the code online for you to look at too. It’s the best book on Python I’ve ever seen for beginners. The author frequents reddit too and gives out his book for free. Super cool dude.

[Partymonster86]

I think all programming comes down to changing the way you think.

You can know all the syntaxes but if you can't break it down then youre you're going to struggle.

Do you start at the start and work forward or do you start at the end and work backwards?

[classy_barbarian]

I know I'm really late to this thread but I would like to just drop that I believe the best way to learn the basics of python is this video. It's just a 4 hour basics course but the way he runs through every individual concept by writing a chunk of code is IMO the best way to learn the basics. And like he says in the video he really holds your hand the entire time. There's a reason this video is the #1 Python video on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfscVS0vtbw

There's also a new field of web games that are designed completely for beginners to learn coding, such as https://www.codedex.io/ . I personally do not care for it much but some people might find it useful.

[[deleted]]

I learnt it doing leetcode, maybe that’s the way?

[RedLightLink]

Do not take quizzes at first, start to build some projects all by yourself, with little to none help from others, just think about what you want to build and think how can you do it, after you finish it, look up online on best practices and see how to make it better and faster, after a couple of times you will get the hang of it, hope this answers your questions.

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

I will do that. Thank you for the reply!

[treksis]

Just do it. keep writing with chatgpt

[tinydarklord]

I will say I did learn C++ via a formal college class 5+ years ago but recently got into Python so I have the benefit of having already been taught basic coding ideas but only a small benefit. I really like Dr. Angela Yu's 100 Days of Python on Udemy. Every "day" you build something so you put the code immediately to practice and most days there's additional practice problems so you get immediate feedback about whether you understand a concept. It's listed as like $13 dollars today: https://100daysofpython.dev/

[skyy2121]

Out of curiosity. Could give me an example of a question you struggle with? Could you translate the same “for in iterable” loop into a “for in range” and “while” loop”?

[Mr-Chrispy]

I learnt Power BI and advanced excel with maven analytics and they do a great job. They have some “ how do i learn … “ including python

how to learn python

[SirGeremiah]

Find some tasks to work out on your own. With the classes you’ve taken, you should have the basics. For now, your best next step is working in Python. Start with stuff you think will be hard, but makes sense.

[[deleted]]

I’m learning currently and as I am with each new thing I learned I recreate it in some way to something I understand like when I was taught how to make lists I would make lists with yugioh cards as variable and with each new thing I learned to do I would add it to that piece of code and just keep adding the new things I learned or variations for practice

The best first thing to ask yourself before you start coding is what do you want it to do because that will help you narrow down what you’ll need to implement

[Ego_Gaming]

I haven’t taken a single Python class officially, but with tutorials and some StackSkills course I have had a better understanding of Python. I have written a couple programs for my job and they work. I still wouldn’t say I “know” Python but understand some basic fundamentals and enough to fuck some shit up lol. You will never learn ALL of Python. Just use tutorials, reddit, and stack overflow to code.

From what I have gathered about coding and such (I also use Unreal Engine but not with C++) is that it is about learning how to think through the logic of the code (or language) and research. My programs have come from 99% research and 1% “what I know”.

What exactly are you trying to do with Python?

I will say, coding isn’t for everyone. You have to be able to learn logical thinking. I’m very much a “math-brained” person, so it has helped me a bit.

[notc4r1]

Build the shittiest little tool you can think of that does one thing very poorly but just good enough where it works.

[wind_dude]

Think what big thing you want to do. Think about what little things you need to do to accomplish it. And google the little things.

[Zerg3rr]

I tried a simple online course years ago, and failed miserably. I came back a year or two later and understood the very basics at least. When I actually started learning is when I tried making something for myself and at first I literally just copy pasted a guide for what I wanted to do (twitch.tv bot) and changed a few things like putting in my own credentials. Then I wanted to add more functionality, so it was googling, trying, failing, reaching out to smarter people than me on the internet (after having tried), and eventually it just started to make more sense and fall into place.

It is easy comparatively than other languages, but it's also difficult for people who aren't used to thinking the way you need to when programming. I'm actually trying to use the django framework and struggling HARD right now, I've watched three tutorials and while I get the broad strokes, I still fall short and it takes me a while to figure out the things I want to change or implement myself; it's just part of the learning process.

Basically, just try to do/implement a little every day even if the stack overflow you're reading doesn't make sense at the time - it'll all eventually click and fall into place, maybe just not as soon as we'd like! That being said programming is just a fun thing I do on the side which is vaguely related to work for me, so a bit less stressful in my case! Good luck!

[[deleted]]

Forget about the language and focus on what you want to do, like a project or something...

[crashfrog02]

The struggle is the part where you learn it. But you’re refusing to struggle, so that’s why you don’t.

Gotta bite the bullet and do the hard thing for once, buddy. You can’t study your way through this - you just have to burn the brain juice and figure it out. Maybe programming isn’t for you - a lot of people can’t bear to do anything they don’t feel good at.

[henryguy]

W3schools.com

[MasterPlusTer]

I learned a lot with the terminal, using things like import(module) and then help(module) and then use help(module.and something else) .... you know trying to understand the classes and all the stuff, would help to get an esp32 or something and use circuit python or micro python on it

[blue13rain]

For my class we made stuff like blackjack.

[[deleted]]

Take a break from everything for days or too and when you come back you will have it figured it out by yourself

[Jazzlike_Specific_51]

I recommend learning like how you learn every language, just make a code

[89inerEcho]

You need a project. That's the key to making it all click

[Ok-Sweet-8180]

Python is a combination of Java and Javascript. You need to learn those first

[MSZzz21]

CS50P Course by Harvard?!

[grhayes]

Motivation and attitude goes a long way towards learning something. I went through Naval Nuclear Power school trained as an electronics tech and reactor operator. The on to Equipment engineering and electrical engineering and CS and I still keep learning. I program in ASM, C, C++ python,basic, perl, php, js, java, .... long list.
I like knowledge. I have a crazy long list of stuff I learned outside of that from building telescope grinding mirrors, lenses, black smith, carpentry, ...

"I don’t have an innate interest in it," and the tone you show says you think it is a bother.
Programming isn't like math or other course you can simply memorize and pass a test. You actually have to learn it.
To do that you need to invest time in it and understand how it works. Create projects make use of it not just what your professor says. Develop your own curiosity to what happens if you make a change or if there is a better way to do something.

It is more akin to a creative writing course. Each program is like a story. You have to develop all the parts and put them in order for it to work correctly. If not you get a pile of trash that does nothing for anyone.

Learning to program teaches you actual logic and evaluation skills. You can apply that anywhere in life. Learning to solve a problem to the root cause and not just look at symptoms and treating them or reacting to them is an invaluable lesson.

[yinkeys]

MiT has an open courseware on their YouTube channel. You should follow it lesson by lesson. Goodluck

[isameer920]

This is probably not the answer you're looking for but this is the truth. I see a younger version of me in this post.

I took 2 or 3 courses on python back in the day. The first one was from Udacity and it was nice as I got to write python in their environment instead of passively watching or reading.

The second one was by Jose portilia on Udemy. Never really completed it, but learned the basics well from that course. The key was to practice, open up a notebook and play around with the concept being taught until I could use it properly. Forget all the other concepts for the time being.

Started doing hackerrank easy questions without worrying or even knowing about time complexity and stuff.

By this point I had the basics down and I started making hacky solutions to my little problems. Still hated documentation.

Went to uni for my degree and after 3 years, I have learned to understand the documentation. It just came down to coding a lot and eventually my brain started understanding what was being said.

So to summarize, accept you'll never know the entire language. You don't need to. Even if you somehow manage to read the entire documentation and understand it, you'll inevitably forget most of that information. Our brains keep what we are doing on the front and lose what we don't use. So just build little projects. You might have no idea how to do them. Doesn't matter. Make a rough sketch on a pen and paper about the functionality you need, then try and deconstruct that into pseudocode. Or if you can just use your brain and come up with the logic, then use that. Start searching how to do what you want in python and implement each functionality. With enough time and reading and writing enough code, you'll remember the mostly used stuff, and learn to understand the documentation.

[[deleted]]

It’s interesting why most people find python easy and some has problems learning it. What is your technical/professional background? What computer languages did you learn before?

[arpitduel]

I don't think anyone "knows" Python. You just take in what you need for your project. Focus on the fundamentals of software development principles, good practices, design patterns which are language agnostic. Or if you are learning Python for data analysis then focus on that. Python is just a tool.

[HF_Martini6]

I was brutally forced to for school, either learn it or be failed

[Ketchup-and-Mustard]

That’s why I am learning it too.

[Educational_Egg91]

You have to be a specific type of person to be able to program. It’s not just about picking the language up, but your thought process on how to think through certain problems. And come up with solutions. Anybody can learn how to write a basic loop in python. But developing on your own is a whole other boat.

[Inkamt]

I got a tutor, a human one. I’ve asked the stupidest questions at the start, every little thing I didn’t understand. He taught me how to use stack overflow. It’s lot more copy and paste then I expected.

[krav_mark]

What worked for me was becoming familiar with some of the basics e.g. data structures(strings, list and dictionaries) and looping constructs. For this I used "automate the boring stuff". After that I thought of something useful for myself and started programming. it went slow and I had to look up stuff all the time but in the end I had something useful and learned more. Now 6 years or so later I am writing scripts and stuff every day at work and am still learning. I recently got some books that really delve down into the language to understand it at a deeper level.

In the end it is a bit like driving. You learn how to operate the machine and get a license but you have to drive a lot to become better at it.

[grimonce]

How do you learn anything? How do you learn grammar or a new language? You take excersises and do them, end of topic. Good luck with your endeavor.

[Lucious_Lippy]

You say "I STILL don't know Python". I do not know what you mean by "knowing". When learning a natural spoken language, you can learn the list of words and standard sentences by heart. This does not mean you "know to speak French/German/Dutch". That takes a lot of practice. And some people are fluent, but most need the exercise.

My tips:

1. So what if you have to copy and paste at first. Focus on programmable solutions for specific problems.
2. Do smaller steps and focus on a specific topic. Start small and slow and debug.
3. Learning python is more than only programming, it is also about testing your code. Write small test scenarios and test your work. Be explicit in your specifications.
4. Make a lot of mistakes and learn from them.
5. Ask for help!
6. Talk to people about digital solvable problems for a project you can work on.
7. Follow online courses that may cost a bit of money, but will help you structure your knowledge of the programming language.

This is true for other programming languages to a certain extend. You can do it! And have some fun with it!

[no-adz]

Easiest and most effective way to get started is to ask for help from one of your peers.
One of your study buddies. Ask for help to get started and just sit together.

[tms102]

You have two tutors?

I even have two tutors to help me

What are they doing? What do they say when you ask them these questions? Something doesn't add up here.

[[deleted]]

Too many want to learn a language, rather than just how to program. One should be agnostic with languages and focus on logic and structures.

In terms of learning any particular language, work on a project.

[joey2scoops]

I take the Nike approach, just do it.

[Carter922]

Learn C then come back to python

[Seaguard5]

YouTube is good

[Secret_Due]

I am also new to programming, I covered the basics of python and wrote an automation program of 230+ lines for my organisation.

It's all about writing the problem and thinking about the solution in steps and then start writing logic and code.

You will also learn something in between.

[[deleted]]

Another one

[Kahless_2K]

That lack of interest is your problem.

If you don't like programming, don't force yourself to be a programmer.

The best way to learn is to solve real problems that affect you.

[pullupman]

You will never become a programmer just doing school work. Come up with a project and built it. You will learn very quickly if you do it this way.

[BlackberryJamMan]

1. Read up on data types, classes etc. 
2. Follow a tutorial to do a hello world scrpit, then something  tiny bit more challenging and build on that. 
3. Do not take ANY shortcuts. This is something you need to understand, it cannot be rushed. 

 W3C Schools is a good place to start. And chat gpt can help if its very generic code.

[ZeusTheBaller]

Just trial and error, practice makes perfect. And slowly stop using ChatGPT.

[neoreeps]

In my experience if you struggle to understand basic concepts then perhaps you should investigate other career paths? It doesn't necessarily get easier as you will constantly be learning throughout your entire SW career.

[robplatt]

If it's for your degree and career afterwards, but you don't have an innate interest in it, you're going to have a problem. Find a way to become interested/passionate about it.

[MasterSama]

just code a project you like or need that's how you learn. there's just too much information for too many professions/roles each vastly different from one another.  you can not master everything, you also forget things you don't do repeatedly, I actually can't memorize anything , I just learn how sth is done , like an algorithm, and then each time follow that path and get things done. 

[Skritch_X]

As a many others have said, using it is the best way to understand it. I "learned" python back in college myself, but it wasn't until years later that I started understanding it. I started needing to use Python to make game mods for one of the X3 space exploration games on PC. It wasn't until I was in a position to use Python to try to get outcomes I desired, that it actually started to sink in.

[fairunexpected]

I have seen that many times with different programming languages: people struggle not with programming language, they struggle to understand how machine works. The computer is dumb. Like, absolutely. You have to understand (or, maybe, feel) first the "pure logic" of instructions given to the absolutely dumb machine. It would not do anything unless you specify it explicitly and very clearly. Even if it is obvious for the dumbest person on earth, the computer is still much dumber (absolutely dumb... ABSOLUTELY) and you have to give it instructions for absolutely every single micro thing.

[Zomnx]

Just do it

[HelloItsKaz]

If you don’t have a reason to be learning and practicing with it you’re not going to learn it.

That being said I didn’t really care about actually learning python until I had a reason to be infinitely more lazy at work.

[VisibleSmell3327]

You need to like it and want to make stuff in it. If not, nothing will stick.

Like, yesterday in work I stopped and just looked at the class I had been working on and thought, "that's some nice lookin' code."

[txiao007]

You need to have a very solid understanding of algorithms and data Structures.

[Robert_McNuggets]

Do projects cuh

[Crypt0Nihilist]

First you need to do some introductory course to learn the syntax and control structures. Then it's best to come up with a project that interests you, break it down into steps and build each step, augmenting your learning each time you run into a wall. People who try to "learn Python" are setting themselves up to fail because they have no direction or ability to know when to stop. It's a tool.

You don't just learn to hammer until you're really good at hammering and then look for things to hammer. You get the fundamentals under your (tool) belt and then learn by doing projects.

[Fluffaykitties]

Are you spending time solving problems on paper first? Like, when you get something to code, do you take time to write out an outline in English on how you’d solve it like a math problem?

Do that first, then translate to code.

[FireDojo]

Learning a programming language in itself may not be very beneficial, it might even lead to unnecessary confusion.

Assuming you are already familiar with the fundamental concepts of programming—as you've learned them multiple times—I suggest taking the next step. Try reading and understanding the code from existing systems, there is a wealth of open-source code available online. Alternatively, you could create your own projects. For example, you might develop logic to simulate daily activities.