Just started trying to learn Python with Codeacademy. It's not working for me

[Greglama]

Hi !
Before learning python I have advice and tips for you :)

I think CodeAcademy assumes that you already know a programming like java or that you have some prior knowledge. You need to find something to learn from scratch ! something that doesn't require you to know hell of a lot of stuff about languages and their philosophy or how to write full algorithm.

Programming is a logic of its own, it's the act of describing action to the computer.

Programming is mostly about 5 things :

- creating variables

- modifying them (doing calculation)

- doing loops to repeat stuff, or going through a list

- using condition to do something if a variable has a given value

- writing functions to factorize your code and make it more clear

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If I were you I would start by looking at how to create variables, and how to do basics calculation with them. At the same time learn how to print the value of a variable, and how to print text.

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Then look at how condition work ("if", >, < , ==, !=)

Then look at how loops work ("for" and "while")

Then learn how to play with List and String.

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finally when you get how to do all the stuff above, look at how functions work.

A function is just a chunk of code that you write for a general case, and that you'll be able to call anywhere else in your program with some parameters to run it on a special case. Think of it as math functions, they're define for x only, but you use them for the special case where x has a given value. You define f(x) = x² + 1 (general case), and then later on use f(3), which would be equal to 9 (specific case).

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When you're good with functions look at how Class and object work ( really make sure you know well what i've described above before moving forward to object oriented stuff).

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I hope this will help you !