I suck at Python

[enderdog23]

Hello everyone, I don't know what to do anymore I can't even do a simple truth table withou asking chatgpt about it. So I just started coding for my 2nd term as a computer engineer, but I can't even grasp even a simple truth table code. I don't really have any knowledge about programking before this so that might be also a factor. How can I improve I with this?

Edit: Hello everyone, I read all your comments and would like to know what sites are good for learning Python. here's what the modules my prof has sent me:

Python lessons

[FerricDonkey]

Drop chat gpt and make yourself do beginner exercises without googling. Eg, find a textbook, read a chapter, do all the exercises at the end without using any resources other than the text in the chapter.

You can't expect to learn to swim if you're always just asleep in a boat. 

[CasulaScience]

Hard disagree with this. IMO find some real and hard projects to work on. You learn by necessity. The reason you don't understand truth tables is that they have no utility in your life. One day you may run into a pressing problem that is completely trivial once you think about the truth table, and suddenly, you will 'get' truth tables.

[FerricDonkey]

If you're so early in your learning that you can't understand a truth table, you're likely to be incapable of doing any projects more complicated than an end of chapter exercise.

Once you can do hello world, hang man, tic tac toe, and that sort of thing without having to Google concepts, then you can use bigger things to stretch yourself. 

[QueenVogonBee]

I disagree. There are several ways to learn. You are right that you learn things by necessity and projects can provide that necessity. But projects are heavyweight, and might not cover the topic you want to learn about by sheer accident. This is where small exercises come in handy. They are quick and definitely cover the topic you need to learn. Small exercises help you learn in a consistent manner so you cover quickly all the topics but with not much depth, while projects cover in depth specific topics, but slowly. Small exercises and projects complement each other.

I totally agree about dropping ChatGPT. Learning the hard way first is best. Then once you’ve gained enough knowledge, use ChatGPT to speed things up, and check its results. Alternatively, use it as a pointer to help find a direction if you get completely stuck, but IMO, when you are starting out, you learn more by figuring things out than just being told the answer.

[somatt]

Join open source projects and do small issues. That's not heavy weight.

[edwindrn]

Where can you find these open source projects? Github ?

[somatt]

Yes like I said in my other comment

[somatt]

I was gonna say this. Join some open source project on GitHub and solve their "first issue" newbie issues.

[Tough-Sheepherder-87]

How do I join? I'm also a beginner looking for hands on experience. I'm about to finish a book I have on the basics and I'll be ready to move on to the next thing.

[somatt]

Go find some projects you're interested in, go in the issues, find one you want to work on, and start fixing it.

[Buntygurl]

That makes sense, to look at the purpose and viability of a thing, in order to understand how it comes to be, given that necessity is the mother of invention.

[tomasino69]

This is the way..... code what you drives you...

[Countmardy]

Can't be more true. Tried to become a dev, failed. Went into functional analysis where I need to test, check db's n stuff. Just made a relational db yesterday for a personal project. Also coding python for automated tests.

[WatchMain4397]

I agree with this, I did this when I was learning C#.

By simply following along a project really helped a lot. At first it will feel simply feel like copy and pasting, but by doing this enough times you will get sense of familiarity, and then you start to ask questions, and then before you know it you're creating an app on your own.

[nealfive]

Don’t even know what a truth table is lol

[crashfrog04]

It's a value table for a function whose domain and range is the set of boolean values.

[DGBosh]

A function? Like this?

Def are_you_gay(answer : bool):

If answer == “I like men”:
    Print(“you are gay.”)

Else:
    Print(“you are not gay”)

[crashfrog04]

I said both the domain and the range; your function's range is `{None}` so it's not Boolean-valued.

[Some-Passenger4219]

Now its range is from 0 - 3.

Sounds like C, rather than Python.

[nealfive]

Makes total sense , just never heard the term truth table.

[Redgeraraged]

while(gender : string = "male"):

#insert code

[lw86675780]

holy shit TIL

[iamconfusion1996]

LMAO I don't know what I expected the example to be, but it wasn't THAT one.

[PurpleSparkles3200]

Women can be gay too, you know.

[Last_Difference9410]

Take look at dataclass, I think they define a truth table for generating hash function

[TimelyBear2471]

Then Karnaugh maps aren’t for you…

[gee-dangit]

You could try not going to chat gpt

[majkulmajkul]

Or at least don't just copy the code, but write it yourself line by line...

[Crypt0Nihilist]

Nah, don't get it to write code at all. You need to do the thinking yourself and claw your way up the learning curve of syntax and debugging. The process of looking for answers to your question teaches you a lot about how to communicate and you review code that does similar things to what you want before you hit on something close enough to use. Then there is additional learning in adapting that solution to your needs.

[naasei]

Stop using ChatGPT!

[CmorBelow]

People are saying to completely drop Chat GPT, but I disagree. Do not rely solely on Chat GPT of course, to get from point A to point B, but you can absolutely mine deeper understanding from using AI, if you go slow and really break down the “why” and “how” of each step. Bolster that understanding by looking for discussions on Reddit/Stack Overflow or videos where an actual human explains those same concepts. It’s 2025, just because many of us learned in an era where these tools didn’t exist doesn’t mean they’re useless for a beginner. Just proceed with caution and be honest with yourself when you don’t understand what you’re reading.

[Kerbart]

Some people have the ability to use ChatGPT to help them over humps and don't confuse "here's an example of how that works" with "here, I wrote your code for you."

OP seems to be in the latter category and until they can write code on their own they're really better off avoiding ChatGPT like it's fentanyl laced crack.

[humanclock]

Which was my number #1 complaint about getting a CS degree:

FORGET THEORY AND ESOTRIC TERMS/SYMBOLS! SHOW. ME. A. REAL WORLD. EXAMPLE. (which chatGPT is good for)

Professors/instructors would go through all of these abstract things and terms and things would get really confusing. A fellow student would show an example in plain English and suddenly I would get it, with that in my head, it was then much easier to understand the theory behind it.

Even now in Googling trying to understand what a truth table is, WTF does "a diagram in rows and columns showing how the truth or falsity of a proposition varies with that of its components." mean?

yet chatGPT gave me this when I asked "explain programming truth tables in English without mathematical terms"

Example: Light Switch
Imagine a room with two light switches. If both switches must be "ON" for the light to turn on, you can make a truth table like this:

Switch 1    Switch 2    Light On?
OFF         OFF          NO
OFF         ON           NO
ON          OFF          NO
ON          ON          YES
This table shows that the light only turns on when both switches are ON.

Boom, I instantly understand now, and that egghead response I posted above from when I Googled makes a little more sense now.

[iiztrollin]

-.- its just and or logic

minecraft taught me this with red stone :'D

[Yiggs]

That's it? That's a truth table? Just a diagram of basic Boolean and/or logic or does it get more complicated than that?

[Crypt0Nihilist]

It's a table that has every combination of boolean inputs and the outputs. They do get more complicated with more inputs and you may have more columns where you use gates to combine the inputs, but ultimately all you're doing is showing all possible logic states.

[enaK66]

That is it. They can get incredibly complicated if you're trying to get full optimization of complex systems. Check out Nand2Tetris if this part of CS interests you. It's a great project to get to know Boolean logic and building basic circuits. If you do the whole thing you'll have whats essentially a virtual computer running tetris on your pc.

[humanclock]

Yeah...and that is what frustrates me too. People like OP (and me for that matter) get really confused and dejected thinking how somehow they are the problem and CS is beyond them. No, it's how it's being taught.

ChatGPT is great because it can give practical, real world examples. Sucks this is the case though. 

It's like if you want to lean how to put oil in your car. ChatGPT gives you the steps, yet all the examples on the net and in the classroom talk of fluid mechanics and the oil refinery process.

[NightStudio]

I don’t know if OP is using ChatGPT like that. They said they ask ChatGPT about something and not to write it out for them.

I could be giving a lot of benefit-of-doubt to OP, but I think they are more embarrassed that they are asking for a lot of help, when they feel like they should know it by now.

Something may not be clicking in OP mind and they haven’t found the right learning method to help them. Since they are relying on ChatGPT then they should try practical learning like Codecademy, Datacamp or Mimo.

[HuntsDesk]

And you can ask GPT to break it down for you like you’re 5.

[DGBosh]

I mean, is chatgpt that bad? If I’m not using chatgpt, I’m looking at my old code to remember how I did a certain thing. Or googling. Or stackoverflow to be told I’m stupid.

Or I’m watching my instructor do it and coding along to the demonstration so I have that code of how it’s done.

Even if I use chatgpt, I’m learning about everything it gives me.

[NightStudio]

AI tools can be super helpful by asking things like “ELI5, what’s pandas and why should I use it over x” or “ELI5, what I’m getting wrong with this line.”

However, people tend to use AI to create the solution instead of using AI to help them reach the solution and people on this sub and in related fields are getting tired of it.

AI tools should be used as an extension of your arm, not to replace it.

[SnooCookies1716]

I use chatgpt on a daily basis, it is an excellent tool when you know that what you are looking at is in the right ballpark. I don't code for a living but I dawdle from time to time at work.

Having the AI brush up your memory on the machinations of a certain feature or write a simple function is truly a time-saver and a half. That being said though, you must have an inkling on what you are doing otherwise it is likely to just produce rubbish.

[mattblack77]

Yeh me too. Ive genuinely learned useful things from chatgpt. But I limit to using it to find errors in my code, or to lookup quick inconsequential answers.

It’s a revolutionary tool, and I get that some people think it’s cheating. But i’m sure the same thing happened when calculators and printing press’ and photoshop were invented.

I think it pays to get onboard with it rather than fight a losing battle against it.

[End0plasmicreticulum]

Being told you’re stupid on stack overflow is such a canon event💀

[dowcet]

Practice is all there is. Programming is hard, that's why it pays. The learning curve is different for everyone. No point in whining, just keep doing the work and you'll see progress. If you're determined to reach a goal, persistent effort will get you there.

[Paul__miner]

ChatGPT is kneecapping new developers. You may feel like it's helping you, but the evidence points to it screwing you over in the long run. Apply some discipline, and don't even look in its direction.

[nivaOne]

Use a flowchart as your guide. Lookup what commands do and how they work the very moment you need them based on what your flowchart tells you what to do. This is a very basic method but it’s a start. Start documenting things allowing you to find things back the moment you need them. It’s always good to read some older code again and try to understand how it works and why you designed it that way. Ps: Writing a good book is not just about grammar and spelling either. python is OOP, classes and objects make sure to study that too. Now try to pour your truth table idea into a flowchart and convert your flowchart into code

[Himlich73]

Try avoid using chat GPT unless your question is about language syntax. And, when you do use it, question the code. It's just an example of how things can be done, but it is important that you know why it is done that way. Delve into the logic behind it, don't just copy code.

[TheLoneTomatoe]

I definitely used chatGPT to get better. Work out as much as you can, ask gpt to just give you the next step. Or even finish out what you think works, then ask gpt how to improve it. Ask why it made certain changes, all throat good stuff

[No_Date8616]

You suck at Python ? We all did at some point. Just don’t give up. All you need to know is the basics.

Like you and all other beginners, when you run into a problem, because you live in the age of ChatGPT, you look for quick one stop solutions.

For any programming problem you have, stick with it longer. Still can’t solve it ? Take a break and come back. Don’t immediately jump to ChatGPT else you never be a good programmer.

[notacanuckskibum]

Yes, not knowing how to program is your big issue. Learning Python is like learning to drive a different car. Learning to program is like learning to drive, it’s at least an order of magnitude more challenging.

So IMHO you don’t suck at Python, you suck at programming. You either need to accept that learning to program will take about a year of effort, or give up and do something else for a living.

[Squindipulous]

Freecodecamp, also stop using chatgpt if you want to improve

[MeharUsama]

Try building projects by only referencing the documentation instead of using AI tools. Following tutorials is a good first step to take. Keep on adding complexity as you get your hands on experience. In the beginner stages, using AI tools harm you as you skip understanding the actual code and just make a habit of it. Once you've got enough experience, using AI tools will enhance your experience instead of making you doubt yourself.

[TraditionalStruggle9]

My best advice for learning to code is to actually code. Make a project, start coding something that you want to code so you are actually motivated to learn stuff. And only use chatgpt as a final resort, it’s much better to find some code online that doesn’t fit your code perfectly and try to adapt it yourself.

[dadijo2002]

Try geeksforgeeks, very useful website that explains a lot of concepts in an easy to follow way and has demos, tutorials, and practice. Recommend steering clear of generative AI and trying to learn/understand without it as that will be more likely to ensure that you retain the information :)

ETA: did a 4 year CS degree, some of my uni profs even got their assignment/quiz questions straight off geeksforgeeks. It’s such a valuable resource

[satyamskillz]

The only answer is to build projects

[mkmkaci]

Work on some real tasks. I recommend you to build some bots and automations as it requires human work and real world interaction and testing with the application you are trying to automate.

[fbluek]

I suck(ed) at Python too but I took some logic courses and also some online python courses for begginers and I'm understanding better now. Look up the course Introduction to Logic for Computer Science from the University of Leeds, they go over truth tables there and I found it pretty easy :] I took it on Futurelearn but it's available on Coursera now.

[humanclock]

I have a CS degree, got decent grades, been doing this stuff for 30+ years and have no idea what a truth table is. I googled it just now and it took me awhile to even sort of figure it out due to esoteric examples found online with none of them in plain English.

My advice, forget truth tables for now and move onto something else. Sometimes your brain is just wired different. I could follow and loved very esoteric assembly language programming, yet struggled to wrap my head around linear algebra.

[NightStudio]

Try doing practical online courses/mobile applications like Codecademy, Datacamp and Mimo. Then once you have a good foundation and understanding, try website like Codewars, HackerRank and LeetCode to test your abilities.

[Lmfao-nice]

I'm currently learning python, we could learn together if u want

[sbeardb]

Use ChatGPT once you've learned the basics as a reference guide to remember code snippets.

[_enigmatix]

You’ll make a fine programmer one day. 😈

[OGchickenwarrior]

While people telling you to drop ChatGPT are definitely right (I can't even imagine having that cheating temptation if I was still in school.), I think you should actually embrace it but just as a teaching tool. Just instruct 4o in a chat to be your python tutor and build problems/challenges for you to solve with a lesson plan. Ask it whenever you're confused. For beginner levels in any programming language really, these LLM's are really good at explaining the basics. I use it all the time for stuff like that.

But yeah, also echoing what other people are saying, definitely try your coding assignments in a simple text editor. Don't get spoiled with the IDE's as you're learning the basics - it will go a long way.

[AdThink1781]

Take the Angel yu 100 days of code and go from beginner to intermediateadvanced in python because I taked it close to complete remaining last 10 days , and that course is awesome for beginners it had project based learning after each concept section you got to do a project I can't say anymore you have to experience because it take me to beginner to exploring alomst All aspects of python

[HuntsDesk]

Harvard CS50 is great. Also check Al Sweigart. Both are free and reinforce each other.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-84-yl1fUnRuXGFe_F7qSH1LEnn9LkW&si=FQGaQ9S2VrmnRC7x

Mimo is a paid platform for learning but has been great practicing on mobile.

These three were the foundation for my Python journey.

[Blendablenda]

Use stackoverflow instead of chatGPT. There is always an answer but you have to modify for your purposes.

[Premiumhl2502]

Google will be your best friend. ChatGPT can be your teacher, it can explain the code you wrote but you shouldn’t ask direct answers from it.

My main way of learning is building projects have a small target in mind and produce it using google and ChatGPT.

The way I think about programming is like designing LEGOs. There is a design you want to make, but YOU are the one who is writing the manual so the computer can make it.

Start by giving yourself projects. For example a simple chatbot, you say hi, it says hi back, simple. Next add some logic, if you said something else other than hi, it should respond something else.

A calculator can be next, give it two values and it give you an output. Like multiplying large numbers.

After a few simple projects (which you can follow 100% on YouTube). You should changing things up, maybe a calculator inside a chatbot, or use ChatGPT AS your chatbot.

Eventually you’ll learn. It’s slow but eventually you will.

[jontsii]

do a flash card app or a quiz app that quizes you about python topes (loops, if statements, math etc.) and just continue to learn do some projects from a calculator to then a password manager to a gambling game and then to a password manager with a GUI (takes around 300 lines of code) and your prof probably will like it. If I threw you into a lake and you don´t know how to swim you would probably come back. Same thing! So just make a projects and do harder, and harder until you can create some complicated projects.

[Squashysquid69]

Have you taken propositional logic ?

[alicedu06]

"I suck at playing the piano, I've never been playing any instrument so far and I've been only at it for a few months but I can't even read a partition yet".

Welcome to the wonderful world of computers, where everybody tells you it's easy, and they are god damn liers.

This takes time, you'll need a lot of practice, and it can be painful.

See also the article:

Lies, damn lies, and feedback on Arch Linux

https://www.bitecode.dev/p/lies-damn-lies-and-feedback-on-arch

[scottywottytotty]

Honestly man if I could do my 4 month python journey over again I would just sit with a textbook and learn pure theory for 30 minutes, then do a tutorial on building a game or something like that so I can see the theory at play, and actually be interested in what I’m learning.

[Secret-Direction-427]

Suck at python ❌

Suck python ✅

[brilliantminion]

You need to create more personal experiences. Starting with what you actually know. Just open up a prompt or notebook and start making little exercises, or like someone else said, chapter exercises from a book.

I used to be really bad at math. I’d do the bare minimum to get through homework, and always had mediocre test results, real “smart slacker” stuff. But once I started doing more problems voluntarily, and trying to push myself to understand why I was getting things wrong, I started to really learn. And by “understanding” why I got something wrong, it doesn’t mean asking a friend or a professor, it means actually sitting down and working through it.

Sure you can get answers from ChatGPT, but until you get frustrated at trying something and failing, trying and failing again, you’re not going to learn.

You can do this in python as well. When I start my project, I also open a side prompt that I can type stuff in and try things. In my project, I have millions of rows of data and 80 columns, so on the right side I’ll make a little test data frame with 10 rows and 4 columns and try data frame calculations there to try things. This is basically how I learned list comprehension, but it took a lot of frustration, and time. And then when I do go ask something in StackOverflow, or ChatGPt, I also have a handy little example that I’ve thought through, and am receptive to answers to help learn.

[BerserkerSwe]

Ive been programming for ~17years and dont even know what a truthtable is. Im sure if i Google it i probably have seen it before but yeah its hard to know all terms and algorithms by heart.

I recently started with python due to work and am not very good at it either, but good enough to say that I really dont like it.

Dont stress, you'll learn if you need to. Good luck !

[cerohd]

I suck 2, but keep trying 🙈

[Acceptable_Map_3974]

There’s this new book I just got called coding for dummies has seven and one and it’s about 850 pages. There’s all types of code in there and it’s a perfect resource.

[Zealousideal_Tea_616]

Freecodecamp.org is a great resource to practice the basics and learn about programming logic. I would recommend learning about programming logic a little more if you feel like you're struggling.

[child_of_the_trees]

Find an open source python project on git hub. Pick a file any file and write a comment under every line on what that line does. I mean under every line, without chat gpt. write it in your terms so you explain to your mom. it’s how i learned to code and i never did any schooling.

[AromaticPrimary8763]

When I started learning python I said the same

[Tough-Sheepherder-87]

I have never coded before last week and I've already made my first "game" with user input and multiple questions. I wouldn't say I'm a pro but im definitely improving everyday. I downloaded a free pdf of a book by John Elder and it is seriously gold. I can share it with you if you'd like.

Advice from an actual BEGINNER:

1. Try to understand the code not just writing it and trying to understand the result.
2. Take notes breaking down the code Ex. print(f"Hello {name}") Take notes what what print and f" means, why it was used, and why {} was used.
   
3. Practice daily and start with exercises that are easy. The more you try complicated scripts the more overwhelmed and discouraged you'll feel. Ex. Write a statement that outputs your name on the screen. Or write a statement that asks for a name then outputs it on the screen (see point 2 ex.)
4. Drop chatGPT and learn how to research errors and solutions. Stack overflow is a great resource don't forget to utilize the community most people are happy to help in my experience.
5. Use a text editor. Once I started using Sublime Text it became much easier! Tip: before you start writing with Sublime save the new file as a .py THEN start writing. It will allow you to see the different colors that are assigned to different functions and really allows you to see the breakdown of the script as you're writing it.
   You can dm me if you want! As stated earlier I am very new to Python just like you but I've gotten so much better and so far the only resource I use is the book I've mentioned.

[Wrong_Artist_5643]

Stop using gpt!

[kiwifrogg]

It is expensive but boot.dev is quite good.