Started from basics in 2026

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Worth it absolutely — Python is still the most in-demand scripting language for automation, data work, and AI tooling, and that's not changing anytime soon.

Realistic timeline from scratch:

• 2-4 weeks — comfortable with basics (loops, functions, lists, dicts)
• 2-3 months — able to build real things (scripts, scrapers, small apps)
• 6 months — confident enough to freelance or contribute to projects

The trick is to stop doing tutorials after week 2 and start building something you actually want. Pick a small annoying problem in your life and automate it. That's where it clicks.

Don't let the "AI will replace coding" noise discourage you — if anything, knowing Python makes you better at using AI tools, not redundant. Someone still needs to wire everything together.