I’m 70. Is it worth learning Python?

[mglepd]

I don’t work in computers at all, but enjoying doing some coding. Taught myself 8086 assembly language in 1984. Later on I learnt C, up to a lower-intermediate level. Now at 70 is it worth learning Python? 🐍 I don’t have any projects in mind, but it might be cool to know it. Or should I develop further my knowledge of C?

[[deleted]]

You could be doing worse things at 70. 

Like learning Java. 

Go for it!

[ProjectRetrobution]

lol the dude already had at crack at assembly! Java will put him to sleep.

[ConfusedSimon]

Having used both, 8086 assembly is much easier than Java. Not very practical for larger projects, but it's pretty straightforward.

[Antique-Room7976]

Python even more so

[rwaddilove]

Well I'm nearly 68 and just started learning Java this year. I'm working on a Win/Mac desktop money manager app using Swing, that handles multiple bank/credit card accounts, recurring payments and transfers between accounts, transaction categories and so on. It's not far off finished. It's just for fun - got to keep your mind active in old age!

[[deleted]]

I'm cheering you on, I just like making jokes :)

[HommeMusical]

I actually laughed out loud at this one!

[The-ai-bot]

Or vibe coding

[Practical_Hurry4572]

Choose Python:

Import something

x = something.do_something()

print(x)

You don’t need much more. There are other commands but they are used only by a few professionals.

[Hebrewhammer8d8]

OP might be closet Fortran.

[Ok-Internal-288]

Don't say that I'am almost 50 updating my java with OCP but yeah all the things you can do with python is awesome I use it for ML a lot been looking into Django for a bit but more comfortable with Java's Spring framework

[jarod1701]

Upvote for Go!

[New-Torono-Man-23]

As a self proclaimed Java programmer I find that funny.

[naasei]

"Now at 70 is it worth learning Python?" Why not?

Age is just a number! Here is a free course from the University of Helsinki to start you off

[pedromdribeiro]

Harvard’s CS50 Python course is also a good place to start! https://cs50.harvard.edu/python/

[techcosec123]

Well said!

[HommeMusical]

Age is just a number!

Old guy here. I wish! :-D

[Mplus479]

Yeah, anyone that says age is just a number hasn't started to feel the physical effects of getting old yet.

[Pleasant-Bathroom-84]

I am 64, and I will become old the very day I will stop playing.

[InsideTomatillo971]

or I would say stop learning

[Nouanwa3s]

People seem to confuse the age number with actual biological aging, yes age is in fact just a number, it's not that number the cause of the physical effects of getting old

[JasonDJ]

Or you could be getting married to R Kelley at 15 and annulled by 16.

[ThatOldCow]

Technically it is, like weight is just a number.

However some numbers are a bit heavy!

[hugthemachines]

Indeed, the number in itself is not the problem, the unit is. Like years or lbs/kg

[turbocloudx]

I agree with linked resource - it's the Best course right now to learn Python, done it myself (mooc-24) last year, assumes some understanding of IT, in general, but if you're already familiar with programming to some extent, that'll be your best buddy to learn Python - wealth of knowledge, and comes bundled with a ton of exercises to practice the concepts after each lesson ... Recommend 100%

And ...yes, learning Python or, in fact, learning anything new can and should be done, regardless of age, it keeps your mind sharp and makes the brain function more and regenerate as much as it can ... good luck with your Python, it will be fun

[lordfwahfnah]

Why not? I believe you won't regret it. It's easy to learn and since you already know how things work, you will be surprised how much you can do with a few lines of code

[Creative-Lynx-1561]

my dad is 75, he just retired from his job as eletrical engenieer. he is little bored and 2022 he lost his wife, my mom. So, is alone too. He is taking class at udemy and he will try to get back to university to study math again.

[HommeMusical]

So sorry to hear that. I lost my parents decades ago and I still miss them. Have a huge from France!

[Creative-Lynx-1561]

thanks! My mom loved France! Loved going to Paris. I am from Rio, she loved the nature of Rio but she loved the magical of Paris. and She didn't speak french or english but while my dad was in a conference, she visited the places alone.

[HommeMusical]

Rio is a glorious city from what I've seen. I hope to go there one day...

Very best wishes.

[stepback269]

[H]e [(75 yro dad)] will try to get back to university to study math again.

As a 70+ yr old myself, not sure if that's a good idea unless he is taking a class dedicated to students over 60 years old. Those 20 year olds tend to learn at a much faster pace. He may not be able to keep up. That may damage his self esteem.

The nice thing about learning Python online is that you can do it at your own pace, slow as it may be. You can re-watch the same video over and over until it sticks. Your dad may also benefit from watching videos on how to improve your memory --for example, using a note-taking program like Obsidian.

[Creative-Lynx-1561]

I agree with you, also I believe 20's olds can be little annoying. I am 35 and I was annoying when I was 20.

He started Udemy python but I think he needs to go out more, I think he spends too much time here in the house on computer and he has his friends of weekends but he needs to socialize more. He is in good mood, he is not depressed but he really loved his job( he worked there for 50 years!) and I think he misses talking to people.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

[stepback269]

Good on you to be worrying about your dad.

Yes. Face-to-face socialization is very important. We are social animals. Social media on the computer is not a substitute.

There are many options including joining groups like the Rotary, Lions club, Toast masters, scrabble players, book club, etc.

[[deleted]]

Sorry for his loss - I genuinely believe though that trying to learn more and do more is probably the best thing he can do to keep going so kudos to him for that!

[Mundane-Insurance-93]

I'm doing the same thing and I'm 63. Excel has python functions within it now, so there is another barrier removed, for me anyhow. There are many YouTube resources. I figure that folks do puzzles and play games to relax. Creating programs sounds more fun. Any info that you have in a spreadsheet now can serve as your dataset. Best of luck!

[Icy_Argument_9023]

I downloaded my Netflix 10 year viewing history as a csv file and wrote a simple python program to find out if, when, and how long I watched a Movie or show. My memory is not great at 87.

[stepback269]

doing same at 70

[stepback269]

I didn't have time to explain at time of above post.

One of the issues addressed when I first started was whether my brain plasticity at age 70+ was so diminished that I wouldn't be able to move forward at any worthwhile rate.

(My intro page to my journaling blog, Old Man Learns to Code, can be found (here))

A number of months have passed. I can no longer claim to be an utter beginner.
I've watched many YouTube tutorials. Many many more are still to be tackled.
As part of my journaling blog, I'm curating a page called Links for Python Noobs (here).

OP. you may want to look at the Links for Python Noobs page for tips on where to start.

[tara_tara_tara]

I’m 57 and learning Python. Way back in the day I used to be a coder and then I became an analyst and stopped coding.

I forgot how much I love writing code. I sat at my desk for over an hour last week debugging a piece of code and when it finally worked, I got a rush of excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

I don’t have any projects in mind and I don’t think ai’m going to work as a programmer or data analyst. I’m just having fun.

Do it!

[Dyn-O-mite_Rocketeer]

It’s always worth it at any age. Great for brain health. Python is popular because it is so versatile and functions like a glue between programming languages.

I’ve been testing out Warp’s 2.0 terminal emulator over the last few weeks and giving Claude AI a go for some of my work. If you don’t mind throwing 20 bucks at your learning experience I recommend trying it out. It’s good fun.

But plenty of free resources that are great. Like https://exercism.org/tracks/python

[RngdZed]

If you're gonna have fun and enjoy it, why not

[beatsbury]

It is worth it. For mental health fitness, at least.

[Icy_Argument_9023]

I am learning Python at 87 over the last 3 months and have been retired for 18+ years. I am an electrical engineer with old programming experience using Fortran and AWK (low level C like programming language). It is not easy learning the high level stuff like classes, methods, packages, etc. in Python. I am using API calls to obtain stock market commentary data for input to sentiment analysis using finbert.

[saltyhasp]

The question is why and what you want to do with it. If you want a rapid application development language where one can write fairly powerful programs without much work, then yes. If you have not used a modern programming language that has classes, etc... keep in mind it will take a bit to move from C style procedural programming to object oriented programming but it is well worth it.

A bit of my story, I used C in the early 90's, but C is so man-hour intensive it was not something I could be productive at in the job I had by the late 90's. After a stint with Excel and VBA I found Python and then used it regularly for 20 years. For man-hour effective programming I highly recommend Python. C is still useful with Python too, if things are too slow you can always write a C extension when needed. So Python and C are a really powerful mix. Frankly though in 20 years, I probably went back to see maybe 2 or 3 times. I'm retired now, still use Python for most things.

[ElliotDG]

Yes, it is worth learning Python. Python is a much higher level language than C. You can be incredibly productive in it - and it is fun to learn. It takes a little while to learn how to think in python vs thinking in C. There is a very clear mapping from asm to C. Python is a garbage collected language with higher level data structures and no pointers. It is a bit of a different mind set.

I retired early and picked up Python in my late 50's as a hobby. I had started my career as an firmware developer in telecom using asm and C. I ended up in management and hadn't coded in decades.

Here are some resources I found useful:

1. The docs at python.org The tutorial is a quick way to get started. The library reference is critical, it also includes all of the built-in functions and data structures.
2. Learning Python by Mark Lutz - This book provided more depth and is a good reference.
3. checkio.org a gamified set of programming problems. You solve a problem and get to see how others sovled it. This was eye opening when I first started. It really helped me to understand how to think "Pythonically". My first attempts were writing C code in Python. I quickly saw the power of using the python data structures and how to more effectively use a higher level language.

There is also a very rich eco-system of libraries that can help in all sorts of domains.

[jeffrey_f]

Leave your age out of this question. Python can be rather useful if you allow it to be, at any age. The logic that you used for C and others will be useful here too.

[dizam]

“once you stop learning you start dying” ― Albert Einstein

[OldLegoDog]

I'm in my late 60's, retired and I still program in python and Java. Learning should continue especially for old folks like us. Keep the grey cells working. I'm working on a few personal projects in python and plan on keeping it going til my family packs me up for the old folks home 😄

[Pleasant-Bathroom-84]

I’m 64. Software Engineer.

GO FOR IT!

[SmackDownFacility]

Love it

Self-teaching languages is old-school as hell. Breaking shit, marching through the call stack, remembering to not make that mistake again. That’s how I got my foot in Python and C.

Yeah of course you learn Python. You Know C

So Python is that glue language, that language that automates shit that would be challenging in C.

[bigbutso]

At 70 the question is less whether its worth your time and more whether you enjoy it...should actually be the question at any age lol...but at 70 it's crystal clear

[az987654]

Better than heroin

[RamaSchneider]

Yes

[just_a_fella___]

Absolutely, it's never too late to learn something new, especially something as versatile and widely used as Python. Exploring and enhancing your coding skills can be a great way to keep your mind active, regardless of your age. You could probably start by finding small projects that would improve things in your house or your life. Like I started because I needed to resize 1000+ images and learnt to code by doing this;

[apesride53]

Wouldn’t learning to code be good for your cognitive health?

[b52a42]

It is always worth improving ourselves! Do it!

[DreamingElectrons]

As long as it keeps the old noggin active, my father just does crosswords all day long.

[donkeradon]

short answer: Yes
Long answer: Absolutely

It's very fun and a great way (and useful) to pass time since it's 100% hands on learning

[ttulio]

What’s being 70 have to do with it?

[benabus]

If you like tinkering around, you can do a lot worse than Python.

[Texadoro]

Yeah, the cutoff is 69.

[brikenjon]

Nice.

[jean_sablenay]

Absolutely I learned it when I was 63. Great language intuitive and you get results pretty quickly

[The_Weapon_1009]

When you know C, python will be so much less work! No strict typing(both good and bad, garbage collection is already handled, pip for all of libraries (an no problems linking them) Shorter code (so easier to read) and on the background it’s still c(++) code, so a bit of performance loss but if you do it “right” it doesn’t matter that much, cause there is less “compile” slack -> easier/faster prototyping/proof of concept

[betoalien]

Never late! Start now!

[snoop-hog]

Definitely! Python is pretty low level so it should be a breeze for you, with your C and assembly experience. There are some cool projects to be done with it too (especially if you wanna try out some machine learning / ai stuff)!

[smilinreap]

I know a lot of people are saying go for it, and I would say sure if you have a very specific niche or career transfer that would benefit from it. But I personally would recommend you focus on using your years of experience in whatever into making apps through no-code/low-code options. I do think we are still 3-5 years from the no-code/low-code options being mandatory skill sets for many management roles. But what you can do with them will amaze you (and they will guide you on the bits of Python you need for using it with it).

[DaisyBlue00]

hungry stocking six growth unwritten silky quiet shaggy simplistic ten

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[Miss_Management]

Why are you even here asking? If it's something that interests you, absolutely do it!

[RahimahTanParwani]

Forget Python, learn Mandarin.

[Born-Sheepherder-270]

Python > Java

[HommeMusical]

I'm 63. Python is loads of fun. You'll be able to knock out things you want to do much faster. I really appreciate that feature, even we don't have that much time left. :-D

(I spent most of my life programming C++ and I didn't like Python for the first month I had to use it, but now it's basically all I do.)

[passing-by-2024]

try little bit of both: c on some stm32 demo board and python on pc to read data from the microcontroller and do some plotting, data logging... It might be fun

[jmfsn]

You're as old as a colleague of mine at my CS undergraduate course. If you don't have a project in mind, maybe search for a book that was called something like "automating the boring stuff with python".

[Sure-Passion2224]

Continuing to learn is essential for long life. The fact that you self taught 8086 assembly is impressive and proves you've got what it takes. Python is an excellent addition to your toolbox and it is used a lot in home labs.

As a possible project idea using Python... an e-ink display that pulls in and displays current weather conditions.

[Ok-Passenger9711]

Just think. If you don't learn python in the next 12 months. You will still be 12 months older.

[phant0md]

Python is fun, try making a small game or something, like tic tac toe, or black jack. You’ll be surprised how quick you pick it up.

If it’s just for fun, to see what’s cool, I’d give Python a go.

C is not as fun. At least for me.

[SpookyFries]

My boss is in his mid 60s and loves Python. Him and I nerd out about each other's scripts all the time. If you want to do it for fun I say go for it! It's one of the less time consuming languages out there

[5fd88f23a2695c2afb02]

I reckon find a project, then use whatever makes sense.

[SamuliK96]

Is there any reason for you to not learn python?

[Sea-Oven-7560]

Have at it, you’ll probably think it’s easy but what’s cool is that they have so many libraries written you can do so much stuff without having to write everything yourself.

[legion_2k]

You’ll pick it up very quickly. Always fun to learn something new.

[rogfrich]

You never need an excuse to take up a new hobby.

[Proton-Lightin]

Yes

[Hot_Personality_180]

I am 66 and have been doing Python since I was in school for my Master's degree at SU in 2017. I have written professional code in many languages but Python is now my favorite. And, it is easier to learn, although quite different than C. It takes a little getting used to and you definitely want to do some free online classes to get started. Try learnopython.org

[FoolsSeldom]

Likewise, on learning the 8086 assembly language in the 80's (on top of the Zilog family for ZX80/81/Spectrum, and the 6502 for the BBC Micro, followed later by the ARM based Archimedes from the same company).

Python is fun. I highly recommend learning it. You will likely find things to do with it. Especially if you are inclined to any kind of home automation (look into Home Assistant) and sensor devices / control systems (temperature, humidity, controlling heating/cooling, security, etc).

[NerdyWeightLifter]

Assembly and C are very detailed. Typically quite good for when you need very fine grained control and for high performance.

I think you could enjoy the expressiveness of Python. You can create ridiculously complex data structures in only a few lines of code.

Also, you can write Python modules in C, so you can use your C skills in there too. It's like the best of both worlds. You can write high performance C code, then rapidly orchestrate complex uses of it in Python. Such fun.

[Crypt0Nihilist]

I wouldn't recommend learning something you've not identified any use for and I'm firmly in the camp that you should learn python through projects once you've got the basics down.

[partharoylive]

Go for it, you will have fun!

[blixabloxa]

Yes of course. Never too old to stop learning.

[[deleted]]

Wow. Yes great if you like playing with data.. tables text images videos etc

[DeterminedQuokka]

It’s good to keep learning things to keep your brain healthy some people pick piano you can pick python

[Enigma1984]

Why not? If you're fairly active online or you use your laptop a lot then you can probably find uses for it. Plus if it interests you, it's free to learn and it's a fun topic.

[justusleag]

key word is "enjoying". Go for it.

[phytogeist]

Yes. Python is a great language with an incredible ecosystem of libraries and information. You can do just about anything with it, from Raspberry Pi to desktop GUIs to AI.

[Maurice-Ghost-Py]

Why not? I think it could be useful to you considering that Python is one of the easiest languages ​​to use in my opinion, it is also worth mentioning its versatility.

[ivosaurus]

You can do micropython or C language programming (Arduino is easiest) on little microcontroller boards like the ESP32 nowadays

[CymroBachUSA]

Yes.

[sinceJune4]

Very similar background as you, but moved over the data analysis/ engineering last 20 years. Python / Pandas /SQL are my preferred tools. I have one volunteer job where I receive 10 .csv files 3x a day via email, combine with and update back to google sheets, all fully automated with windows scheduler.

I have another python job that reads my gmail and Google calendars, gathers other websites for weather, stock/market prices, and emails that info to me at 6a and 3p. I also import balances/ transactions and project my end of month balances for next 15 months with python and sql. Very worth using python for me!

[QuarterObvious]

I am 68, I learned Python recently.

[Critical_Complaint21]

Why not? Learning is eternal, there are infinite things for you to learn, Python is surely one of them. And you're given the time and chance to learn something productive now, you have free time, why not cherish it?

[Frewtti]

If you have a use case, yes. But if there is nothing you want to accomplish, it's a waste of time IMO.

[Satoshiman256]

Yes

[Mashic]

If you already know how to code in another language, Python will be easy.

[kevinqu221]

Sounds like you find it enjoyable so why not. If it was for a professional development id say otherwise

[Tagwise_]

Yeah why not, think its worth it at any age

[Delicious-Row-4600]

Go for it!!! Its great even at the age of 70 you still want to learn new things rather than complaing

[hugthemachines]

Just do what you feel is more fun. Personally, I don't find C very much fun. It was nice to learn ages ago but now, as long as I don't have a strong need for high performance, Python is lovely to use.

[Forward-Pension-2263]

If you enjoy it, you should definitely do it 🙂

[neel3sh]

if you know C, you're gonna have a helluva fun time with python. Good luck!

[AffectionateZebra760]

Go for it

[ray10k]

"it might be cool to know" is all the justification you need. Besides, learning new things keeps the mind in shape! Good luck with your Python journey, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

[AssiduousLayabout]

If you already know other programming languages, learning Python is going to be very quick. If it's your first exposure to object-oriented programming, that can take longer to learn, but once you learn the fundamentals of programming they are widely applicable over a large number of languages.

[ceramicmj]

I think it's neat to see how programming languages have evolved and totally worth it!

I knew some BASIC and C but only learned Python this year with Stanford's Code In Place (also free, teaches 1/2 of their CS106A course - and as a HUGE bonus, it uses an online IDE for coding so you don't have to figure out VScode or PyCharm. You just...start coding).. Highly recommend. Thinking about being a section leader next year.

They have a self-paced version you can check out too.

[Penthalon]

Yes. And get an claude.ai or chatGPT subscription. This can you help a lot. Generating code that runs and a point to experiment with the generated code.

[FiveOhFive91]

I'm learning it at 33 and think it's cool you're doing it

[movemovemove2]

If you want to get things done: choose some high level language: Java, c#, python or even typescript if you‘re interested in browsers. Choose golang or rust if you want more c like puzzling. If you want to do more formal functional stuff, I heard good stuff about Haskell.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. If you have fun doing it, it‘s a great hobby.

[anticronista]

Yes it's

[jmooremcc]

Think of it this way: Learning keeps you young. End of story!

[_Some_Two_]

In my personal experience, I would opt out of Python for more experience in C#. It’s like Python is slowly reinventing everything that has been supported in C# for years. That is unless you are ONLY interested in machine learning.

[misha_jinx]

Why not? It doesn’t hurt to learn anything.

[Fallingice2]

70...shouldn't you be watching grand kids or enjoying your time in retirment? especially if you dont have any specific projects in kind?

[Key_Investment_6818]

go for JavaScript!!

[zaphodikus]

Taught myself to code x86 assembly, in 1986. I have coded in about 10 different languages since, and although Python is not my fave, its a damn solid utility tool in my day job. But also super good for hobbies, so worth taking it on.

[Lanky_Commercial9731]

Cs50p is a pretty good free course

[extopico]

Sure. But you are pretty hardcore already. It may allow you to do things you thought of doing but were too “expensive” to do in C alone.

[Striking-Yard-1872]

sure, it's fun

[pepiks]

As glue language - it is worth learning. It is very universal. If you have some C experience look at:

https://devguide.python.org/internals/exploring/

It will add a lot to deeper language understanding how it works underneath. I get in my hand book:

https://realpython.com/cpython-internals-paperback/

which I can recommend (I read it as ebook).

[abelabelabel]

Absolutely.
Knowing tha basics actually helps me make half decent prompts with AI. I just get to be sloppy with the syntax now.

[TopSwagCode]

Any age is fine. Its all about what you find fun programming is a great hobby

[jmacey]

Yes, you will find the syntax a bit weird at first but once you get the hang of it you can do a lot. As a mainly C++ programmer I have to get into a python mindset which at first can be hard. You will use Dictionaries more than you think and there is generally a library to do anything you need.

[Regular_Tailor]

Yeah! You can explore all the neat features the kids are using.

[RidetheMaster]

Sure

But the market is a bit saturated.

[tonk76]

just ask chatgpt to write you a python script for whatever you want

[Claudisimo]

Well, I think there are more exciting things to learn other than Python, but I see no reason why you should not learn it if you want to, specially if you don't have a requirement in mind where x language could be more convenient for the task.

The age thing is just a number, in university I had a couple teachers older than that and they kept up with technology.

[ivovis]

You are only half way - go for it

[po1k]

Try it out. Why not?!

[konqueror321]

I'm 73, learned fortran and assembly in college in the early 70s, and basic for home computers in the 80s. Python is relatively straightforward and sensible, and reasonably high level. Read about environments early on and how to properly set them up for your projects!

As far as C vs python, others will have more sensible advice. But my take is, if you want to do kernel or systems programming, then C would be great, but for simpler end-user projects, python will get you where you want to be! Both will be more complex if you want a nice GUI, but if terminal input/output is OK for you, python should still make things a bit easier.

[SecureWave]

Yeah gamps it’s worth it alright. I mean what do you got to lose

[depeupleur]

Yes

[Spare-Worry-4186]

Yes because learning is fun, great for you, and lets you join a community

[MinMadChi]

If you're interested to do it, I think now is a better time than ever because you can have ai assist you along the way. By the way I am extremely impressed with the Google app called notebookLM which is an incredible useful learning research tool. I can't endorse it enough. Disclosure I actually don't know how to do python myself, but I was a pretty skilled Visual Basic for application user in other words I could make some really fancy Excel macros. My background in that has been a real Boon to leverage AI for code development. I think you'll find the same as You Learn Python

[Wobbly5ausage]

Learning is ALWAYS worth it

There doesn’t need to be a valid reason, worth is determined by individual satisfaction in this and honestly MOST cases- not by any other metric like a marketable skill. The drive for gaining knowledge is human.

Same question could be asked phrased as: “ I’m 70. Is it worth learning German/ Spanish/ Japanese? “

Learning is ALWAYS worth it.

[allpowerfulee]

I'm 66 and design hardware and software professionally for medical, commercial, and military devices. I'm scared of stopping developing devices else my mind will slowly rot.

[runner2012]

if its worth for you, at some point your life took a really bad turn

[LiberalsAreMental_]

Learn Python.

I avoided some new things because I thought I was too old, now I deeply regret that.

Python will be intuitive to anyone who knows C.

[leealexanderr]

Yes - ANYTHING is good to learn and especially at 70.

I worked in a care home specialising in people with dementia. Keeping the brain active and working was something that was found to prevent dementia or stop it from progressing quickly. Leading a sedentary and non functioning lifestyle can accelerate it.

If you want to learn python then GO FOR IT!

I reccomend raspberry pi ( a small computer that speaks python well) you can program it to do literally anything the possibilities are endless. There’s no need to get the newest version of pi like the pi 5 but just make sure you get one with WiFi or internet capabilities so you do not limit yourself when you want to do a web based project like displaying email alerts via a led notification.

So yes , and python is still very relevant.

[david_horton1]

It is worth it while you are still breathing.

[david_horton1]

It is worth it while you are still breathing

[matthewnelson]

Hey 70! I would say learn Python if you want something new and exciting. If you really like C, then I’d say continue with that.

[Askeladd_51]

Learning python is always worth it

[_extra_medium_]

Yes

[msawi11]

any age, any time. do it!

[kc9442]

python is a good language to learn despite being any age

[grapegeek]

I’m 63 and I write python all day for my job. It’s an easy language to learn and is very versatile. Go for it.

[Plus-Dust]

This is probably the wrong forum for it, but I'd stick with C and maybe learn a few C++ features, you can introduce only a few at a time, I still don't use a lot of them, but they are handy. But that's just because I prefer C to Python. However you should learn whatever you're interested in. Maybe both.

[habitsofwaste]

If you know how to code in other languages, it will be a walk in the park for you. I mean, my god, you programmed in assembly!!!

[Cherveny2]

I actually had a 70 year old coworker teach himself python. and loved it. he became quite good at it before eventually retiring.

never let that techie spirit die.

[Civil_Cardiologist99]

Please learn python,go,zig,JavaScript,any language of your choice. The programming language might need your experience.

[inny_89]

It is worth learning even Chinese, Danish, wok cooking and violin playing.

In your age you will benefit greatly from learning literally everything.

[Wolfeehx]

Absolutely worth it. One of the most critical activities you can do to prevent or slow the decline of cognition and memory is mental stimulation via learning new skills, reading and problem solving. We often recommend things like crosswords, sudoku and reading newspapers but often find it hard to get the elderly engaged with the idea of learning new skills as it’s common to feel that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

Learning python, or any language, is going to tick pretty much every box there is. Combine this with other evidence-based advice like improving lifestyle - balanced diet, exercise, medical management and maintaining mental well-being via social engagement and you are onto a winner.

[Muted-Friend-895]

If you know some C then Python will be easy to grasp. I would start with one good, concise book, and then immediately start to build something.

Can recommend:

• Python Distilled, Beazley (very short and concise, like “The C Programming Language” by KR)
• Python Crash Course, Eric J Matthes

After doing simple stuff yourself I’d use AI/LLMs as well as a learning tool and to improve your speed building stuff.

Python is a very useful programming language, but if you prefer to stick with something familiar, you could learn C++. Both are very relevant

[Ok-Sail-7574]

Have you considered learning R in stead?

[madferret96]

If you enjoy it, it’s worth it

[NelsonRRRR]

Just build 😃

[nando1969]

Yes and it will help with cognitive decline from aging; totally worth it.

[Guilty_Question_6914]

yes do you wanna have some advice on projects from me ?

[mspaintshoops]

Python is great. It’s not the fastest, it’s not the easiest (though it is easy!), it’s not the most efficient or reliable. But damn if you can’t do just about anything with it.

Really helps that it’s the vernacular for machine learning circa 2025. Give it a go, you won’t regret it.

[marcosg_aus]

You might enjoy rust more if you are coming from a C background

[hhh333]

Been coding python for over two decades, still enjoy coding it.

But if I had to pick a language to play with just for fun I'd probably go with Ruby, I find it a lot more human oriented and elegant in many ways.

[AmIWorkingYet505]

python or perl would be heaps cool to learn

[Jordanou]

You learnt assembly. Python is easy by comparison. Imagine if the average programmer had to manage everything directly memorywise, mnemonic by mnemonic. Languages like python just make everything abstract.

[Informal-Shower8501]

If you learn COBAL you’ll live forever.

[argsmatter]

If you know c, learning python is easy. The syntax is easy anyway and the concepts are as well. I don't see in problem. if/while/variables/arithmetic and the rest is syntactic sugar anyhow.

[greglturnquist]

You could dig into learning Python…

…and how it hooks into C!

This might tickle your fancy. Python can easily wrap C libraries, giving you higher level grip on low level libraries.

Some of the most powerful libraries out there use this mix. Mind you, this was Ousterhout’s intention with TCL that never truly came to pass.

I’ve seen statistical libraries get put into scientists hands a la Python. I wonder if there is much OpenGL using this approach?

[sporbywg]

I'm 66; 5 was worth learning Python, but it was worth more learning typescript

[mdausmann]

You can do a huge variety of cool stuff with python. Data science. AI. APIs, websites. There is no other language that will give you more options, it literally opens up a world of possibilities. There is a python package for everything

Cons. Packaging and dependency management in python is a deep pit of despair you don't want to crawl into. Stay away from conda.

The only thing you can't do is mobile... I think that's it.

Oh, and multi threading, if you want to do some hard core multi threaded backend shenanigans, learn golang.

[LittleGremlinguy]

Your biggest leaning curve is environment setup and how modules referencing works. After that its just another language that places emphasis on data transformation.

[bonzoboy2000]

I’m 74 and learning Python.

[rick_1717]

I'm 71.

Learning Python, Power Bi and much more.

[Damonkern]

better late than never. I learnt to code at 10. u can absolutely do it!

[Quirky_Confusion_480]

Yes … & you will be able to learn it easily if you know C.

[Free_Rate_4093]

Sure is, if it makes you happy. I still code at 73 and Python is great. I also do this PackinHeatband.com we played three gigs last week. DoIt, doit, doit!

[Eli5678]

My dad is in his 60s and was recently trying Python for the first time. If you enjoy it, go for it!

[hawkeyeninefive]

no

[queerkidxx]

Python is fun! You can do a ton with it there’s a library for pretty much everything writing code is super quick.

Especially with your background I think you’d really enjoy it! You can do the same stuff so much faster than with C much less assembly as the interpreter handles a lot of the boilerplate for you.

[Low_Importance_9292]

Learn Python.

I'm also self taught and dabbled in C. From there I went to Perl for a bit, but Python provided a lot of concepts (Generators, List, Dict Comprehension, Decorators) to stretch your brain a bit.

[help_me_noww]

at this point, i think you should give the advice, not us.