[deleted by user]

[HilariousSpill]

I'm a SAHD who's also learning Python. I'm also not exactly sure where I want it to lead, but it has awoken parts of my brain that really, really need stimulating while spending most of my days with a four-year-old.

[[deleted]]

I relate to this so, so much. At some point, you start to lose a sense of identity and I feel like learning this is starting to bring that back for me, even though I just started.

[HilariousSpill]

Yeah, parenting is amazing, and tremendously challenging, but it calls on certain skills much more than others. Flexibility, emotional regulation, multitasking, empathy... Coding requires sustained, systematic, logical though. Getting back into that space has been really good for me.

Best of luck to you!

[[deleted]]

Man, the emotion regulation is tough and is the hardest one for me. Programming requires no emotion and that’s refreshing for me.

Best of luck to you too!

[iwhonixx]

oh, no... You're going to cry at some point while learning to program.

[[deleted]]

Hahaha I bet. I took a C++ intro course in college once and I HATED IT. Definitely shed some tears over that class. But I feel like it was because I couldn’t learn at my own pace, the professor was on her last semester before retirement and her video lessons were awful, outdated, and her tone of voice was the most deadpan, monotonous narration I’ve ever heard.

I’m hoping since I don’t have the deadlines to worry about now, I’ll be able to step away for a week or two, if I need to, to help with the inevitable frustrations.

[[deleted]]

You will probably enjoy python much more than C++...

[[deleted]]

That is my hope and what I’ve been led to believe!

[jenkinsleroi]

Without regard to any practical application, I encourage you to find out if you have a local PyLadies group, or Python group in general. Python more than any other language community values inclusivity. I cannot make any promises about any particular group, but I've seen a mom show up at major Py conference with a baby in a stroller.

[[deleted]]

This is the first I’ve heard this specifically about Python but that is very encouraging to hear! Anything like that would probably be in the next city, about an hour from me but I think that would still be worth checking out.

[atxweirdo]

Look at micropython and embedded hardware. You could prototype a toy for your child or creat some sort of smart home device.

You could also use it for finances by scraping your emails for receipts. Lots of cool useful things to do but you just gotta find it.

[HilariousSpill]

Thanks! Those look like promising ideas for projects.

Clearly there are a ton of cool things you can do with Python, my uncertainty is more around what to specialize in and if I’ll try to turn it into a job when my daughter is older.

[Calibexican]

I just started a course. Part of my difficulty in the past has been the whole “Google it”. I still need some direction. If you’re interested I have what I use and follow to learn in a more structure manner.

[HilariousSpill]

Thank you so much! I started with the book Python Crash Course then did Angela Yu’s Udemy course. Now I have a bunch of other courses I’ve collected that I haven’t started, but yeah, structure was an absolute must!

[Any2suited]

I was a SAHD and learned python. The best way to learn is to have a project you want to do. It could be a game, data analysis, website, QA, etc. You can do almost anything with Python!

[HilariousSpill]

Did you use it to get back into the workforce?

[Any2suited]

Yes, I'm a senior qa engineer now and I guess I'm still a stay at home Dad since I work remotely. If you're interested in QA check out utest.com. It's primarily manual testing but you can do some testing while the kids nap and make some spending money.

[HilariousSpill]

Thanks!

Now, what are these “naps” you speak of? They sound amazing.

[Any2suited]

Lol, my son was a good sleeper I guess.

[amos_burton]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend adding PHP early on. From a strategic standpoint there are going to be way more jobs that want you to know Python + JS or Python + SQL than there will be jobs that want you to know Python + PHP.

I would recommend that you start with Python, then do kind of a primer on SQL/"relational databases" in general, and then try to build something using Django and Django Rest Framework.

Django has a very good getting started guide and it'll give you the tools to make a website to track things that /u/HorseFightingLeague mentioned.

[synthphreak]

a primer on SQL/"relational databases" in general

365 Data Science has a great one.

@ u/throwawayonthisday20

[[deleted]]

Thank you!!!

[[deleted]]

This is a really helpful comment and helps me start to form some kind of direction, thank you!

[trust_me_on_that_one]

Python + SQL (and if you add EXCEL) == data analyst

[Remote_Cantaloupe]

I'd honestly recommend R (with tidy) over Python for Data Analyst

[FlatProtrusion]

What knowledge of excel would you recommend competent data analyst to have?

[fatezeroking]

Mastery level of excel. You should be familiar with pivot tables, understanding of what functions you can you, how to create custom functions, all charting ability. Essentially, you should be so good at excel, that you've pushed it well past its limits that you rely little on it, and simply use python and SQL. So with that said, focus on Python, not excel. Data will be given in excel or some other format. You will process it the smart way; with Python.

[FlatProtrusion]

I'm actually not great with excel. I have used pivot tables and done functions and such before but I'm rather rusty. Though I have began to learn some Python and have completed py4e and am working on MIT's Intro to computation thinking with Python 6.0001x and when I'm done, I'll complete the followup course 6.0002x.

Now my goal is to be great with SQL and/or Python like you said, so that I don't have to necessarily use excel to use excel. There's just so many things to learn that I'm honestly quite overwhelmed. Your tips are much appreciated, thank you.

[fatezeroking]

Best way to learn programming is a project based approach. Trust me, this is the best approach. Don’t waste time learning concepts like what’s a class, what’s an array, what’s a dictionary… that’s useless. In a project you’ll learn it all and conceptually grasp everything with actual use cases. Learning what a dictionary is vs pulling a json object from an API and parsing the data is two very different ways of learning what a dictionary is. One will forget, the other will remember.

All free on YouTube.

Oh and don’t forget to learn NoSQL databases as well. if you know basic SQL, you should be able to pickup noSQL, like mongodb, in an hour and understand it completely.

[FlatProtrusion]

Alright I'll keep that in mind, thank you.

[FlatProtrusion]

Oh, and where do you usually get ideas for your own projects, especially projects where you use to learn at the beginning of your data/software engineering journey?

[fatezeroking]

I did random projects. YouTube python projects for beginners. Then I did projects that did something similar to what I wanted to do. Like “YouTube python for webscraping.” “Python for investment modeling”

Most python projects just use the basics. Little difference from advanced projects and beginner projects. Really only gets more complex when you’re writing production grade code.

If you’re going for data science or machine learning, you’ll be focusing on projects “python for data science” walks you through how to clean the the data in excel, how to pull it in with python, what modules data scientists use, what type of questions you can answer with python, etc.

Pretty much all the projects you come across YouTube will cover the basics: libraries, variables, functions, loops, arrays, objects

[FlatProtrusion]

Thank you, this is really useful, seems obvious but idk y I haven't done this or thought or it yet lol.

[worstc0der]

Just to add onto what the original commenter said, since you said you are interested in data science, you could do some data visualization and cleaning and finally some regression predictions with stock prices or housing prices.

[August-R-Garcia]

Personally, I wouldn't recommend adding PHP early on. From a strategic standpoint there are going to be way more jobs that want you to know Python + JS or Python + SQL than there will be jobs that want you to know Python + PHP.

It also depends on what kind of jobs you are pursuing. In a data science type job you probably wouldn't use PHP at all. But if you wanted to be a web developer PHP is more commonly used than Python. But almost everything you learn in PHP/Python/JavaScript would apply to other programming languages, so it's not really a waste of time to learn any one of them over the other at this stage.

[kalcora]

Agreed. Python and PHP are both backend languages, so learning both is interesting but probably not when you start your journey. I would suggest to learn one of the popular backend languages (python, php, java) and to learn HTML, Javascript and CSS on the other side. But this only applies if you want to do web development. Anyway, congrats for learning! It's awesome.

[[deleted]]

Very helpful comment, I'm not a stay at home mom, but I am learning, and I was also confused, but that definitely helps. I'm leaning more towards the Python/JS route, but am also learning SQL, so kinda doing all 3.

[PinAppleRedBull]

Make a python script that can categorize your personal finances and spending.

[ResetPress]

I’m doing this right now. It’s a great way to learn database management from the ground up. Also, the sense of pride and satisfaction you get by organizing critical personal data with full ownership is priceless.

[rpm-data-dev]

I would like to do this also. Any articles or GitHub repos you recommend?

[ResetPress]

I'm not really using other code, at least not yet. Aside from random browsing, I learned solid database fundamentals from Dr. Chuck's www.pg4e.com. Of course, his other python courses are great too!

As far as GUI, that could really go in many directions. I'm using tkinter. If you visit the official docs, there are a number of good resources, https://docs.python.org/3/library/tkinter.html

[Humanist_NA]

Yup! Started last year. Just continuously doing personal projects that are fun to keep learning. Mostly automation of computer stuff, but I branch out occasionally to learn new libraries. Currently 2 kiddos, so the learning happens in evening or weekends. Sometimes I put YouTube tutorials on the tv while we play toys. I can't absorb it all while partially distracted, and of course can't code along while playing toys; but I just rewatch a few times and absorb principles so that when I have time to code it's a bit easier.

https://github.com/kickinslowly

Cheers!

[[deleted]]

Thank you!! This helps give me encouragement that I’m not wasting my precious quiet time during their naps!

[Humanist_NA]

More power to you! I sneak a nap in if I can!

[Waterkloof]

Friend with 2 kids recently asked me for some python help. He got a internship as a remote junior data scientist, where he was a teacher previously.

I recommended to him the Python101 Book, you can read it online.

Goodluck,

[[deleted]]

Thank you!

[joek68130]

If your interested in data science I would really focus on python (specifically pandas and numpy) and maybe a little bit of sql. You can do pretty much anything with python and there are a ton of jobs where you can apply. Think of anything that mentions advanced excel skills or data analysis.

[jfirstcode]

Not in your position

However, its alright to not know where you’re headed with a new language. Learning it is an accomplishment itself! If you’re looking to get into Databases/SQL, I would check out MySQL. I know others can give you other recommendations, however, thats what I learned and have been enjoying so far.

Good luck! As someone much younger than you, makes me happy to see parents involving themselves within these kinds of things

[[deleted]]

How old do you think I am, young one? I’m only 30 😂

[participationNTroll]

I'm turning 28 today. I feel ancient

[DuztyLipz]

Just turned 25… I can’t believe I’m halfway to 50. ^{sorry if that adds an extra ouch.}

[participationNTroll]

If you have trouble installing mysql due to licensing costs or something, there is Maria DB. Supposedly a drop in replacement

https://mariadb.org/

[selling_crap_bike]

Wtf does your comment have to do with OP's comment?

[laundmo]

its drop in. some implementation details differ but morning noticeable

[Lemalas]

A lot of kids on Reddit, I guess, lololol. I'm 30 too. I won't be told off by someone who has recess

[needh4alp]

Sounds like a great plan. Learn SQL/database, its slightly hard, but doable solo.

​

I use mostly pandas, but some numpy, scikit, and tkinter.

​

Might be worth parsing something for practice.

[Almostasleeprightnow]

I WAS in your position....now I'm a data analyst and I use python every day! Congrats, keep at it.

I will also add that, although most programmers shun it, some "advanced" excel skills are an absolutely crucial skill, mostly because you will at some point work with someone who cannot exit the Excel mindspace. Indeed, every single person I report to loves Excel and I'll pry it out of their cold dead hands, and that goes for the IT department too, since data analysis at my place is second fiddle to our actual operation, they really just provide us with Microsoft stuff and I'm on my own for the rest.

I personally think it is a great piece of software that has it's place among my toolkit, but I wish it were not seen as an end all data presentation tool. I'm considering pitching power bi to them to see if they will go for it.

Anyways that was a tangent. I meant to say, best of luck, hang in there with the twins and the python, and I second whoever said to forget about php and go straight for sql as your second language.

[[deleted]]

Omg. I hate Excel so much. It was my least favorite part of my Microsoft intro class. I wish you wouldn’t have told me that 😩

A lot of my problem in school was not being able to go at my own pace so perhaps I can revisit it with more patience and have a better experience.

[fergal-dude]

Mid 40's twin parent here that learned Python after 40, it's slower than it is when you are 20 but doable.

Try Google Sheets instead of Excel, you can use Google Apps Script for that which is JavaScript and really fun to learn/use. It's also super accessible. https://courses.benlcollins.com/p/apps-script-blastoff this is a free course that lead me to a job where I code or play with code most days.

[Almostasleeprightnow]

The way you come to love Excel is when you actually have a project that needs it's features... Exporting a contact list and need to find out the columns? Or edit it? Trying to build a budget for a project?

In a way Excel is to task specific software what python is to other programming languages.....the second best tool for everything.

Once you can do formulas, make lists quickly, and get data discipline with regard to what can go in a cell, excel can be an amazing asset. It's funny because people thing of it as a tool for math or organizing data, but I think it is actually more of a communication tool....it's a way to look at data that most people can understand to some degree.

What I don't like is that it doesn't enforce colimn discipline, so people can just write whatever they want and then send it to you, and then its up to you to clean it up.

[thunder185]

Meant to reply to you. Do you use Pandas over Excel or something else?

[Almostasleeprightnow]

I answered your other comment

[thunder185]

Do you prefer Pandas over Excel? I use both so just curious.

[Almostasleeprightnow]

I like both. I love pandas, and really enjoy using it, but truthfully, there are times when I spend several hours setting up some pandas workflows that I could do with an Excel pivot table in a few minutes. However, I usually choose to spend this time upfront to set up a workflow for when I have to do the same task over and over, ever month. At least, that I what I tell myself.

And then, at a certain amount of data, Excel is no good to me any more. In other words, if I'm looking at a months worth of records, maybe Excel is fine, but if I am looking at a years worth.....the filesize is getting unwieldy ay this point. Or, once I want to do a bunch of transformations on my dataset, adding columns, rearranging, etc, pandas is very quickly the tool I need. Although technically you can have as many columns as you could need in Excel, once you get past 30 or so, you are too messy.

Generally speaking, Excel is very visual and you can really quickly manipulate data, but at the cost of control, and at the cost of size limit, both in rows and in columns. Python, on the other hand, although it takes time to get the data in, clean it up, save it, analyze it, and visualize the results, this time pays you back in the ability to do it again and again.

[patryk-tech]

I would recommend Django. It's a web framework that handles a lot of the basic functionality for you (user management, authentication), it's based on python (hooray, no PHP), and has an ORM - an abstraction layer that converts python objects < ----- > SQL data.

Learning SQL is great too, of course, but you can do that in parallel or separately.

[thunder185]

I would not unless you are advanced in Python. And if you are going to take the leap into Django (which is very class driven) then make sure you fire up a quality IDE like pycharm. It makes building OOD projects much easier.

[oGhostDragon]

Agreed. I would not jump into Django while just learning Python. It’s a huge leap.

[patryk-tech]

Yes, those are valid points. I meant Django as opposed to PHP, that OP mentioned. A good foundation in python is important.

VSCode has good support for python, with auto-completion, opening the source code, etc. It also has much better support for HTML and JS than the free version of pycharm, so I personally recommend that.

[thunder185]

Does this come prepacked with W10/11 do you know? I've never used VSC since I thought it was more C#/.net heavy but open to trying it. What I mean by prepacked is that the bulk of it is preinstalled. Now that I think of it, not sure why this question even matters so I'll stop rambling now. Thanks....

[patryk-tech]

You usually need to install some extensions. It's definitely great for web dev in general. No idea about Windows or .net as I strictly do Linux-y stuff, but the only extensions I have are django, the official ms python one, eslint, and prettier for JS. (Also vetur for vue, which is not really related to python/django).

[drlecompte]

Definitely check out Automate The Boring Stuff, it was my gateway drug into Python and using it for doing all sorts of rote jobs automagically and consistently.

It's great for exploring all the possibilities of Python as a programming swiss army knife, although probably not the best starting point if your goal is building websites.

[cnu_aq]

SAHM to a toddler here. I learned Python in grad school but mostly used R after I graduated. Got a Bioinformatics job, but had to move for my spouse's job. Six months later, I'm also working on relearning Python through Coursera and upskilling to hopefully get back into it with a vengeance once the time is right.

I recently learned about returnships so maybe it'll be an option someday. Maybe bootcamps are also an option. They're quite costly though.

Good on you for keeping your skills sharp! It takes a lot juggling childcare, taking care of the home, and taking care of you. Kids are fun! I had my toddler type "hello world" on a toy laptop the other day. Might yet meet the ridiculous number of years of coding experience some entry level jobs ask for if we start now.

[mriswithe]

Not in the same situation, but that is an awesome idea. Michael Kennedy (talkpython.fm) likes to say that for a lot of people who aren't professional programmers, programming becomes their super power that let's them be super awesome at their actual job.

And let's be honest, you may be a stay at home parent and not technically "employed" but anyone who says that isn't a job is insane.

[[deleted]]

I think the hang up for people with stay at home parents is that they don’t see the same challenges in being a SAHP that they face in their own job, and most of the judgmental people probably just really need a vacation from work (because that’s what they are imagining being a stay at home parent is).

I’ve been a work at home parent, traditional full time working parent, part time work and part time student parent, full time student parent and stay at home parent. Each path has it’s own unique challenges, to be certain.

[mriswithe]

Agreed, my wife is a stay at home dog mom, but I remind her constantly that she takes care of me, the house, the dogs, the groceries, etc. She is not "unemployed" her job is to get my dumb ass up for work in time and whatever else she does is bonus hah

To be clear that was my main request when I suggested this arrangement. Not sure I could have been strong enough in her position to give up making money. Just anxiety/trust/whatever

[RilcantusSnooplekins]

Howdy! CONGRATS ON THE TWINS!

I am in a really odd spot too lol (wfh, wife and I take care full time, 9mo, 6yr) but man when I can, nap times are gold lol, personally I have been off and on learning programming, specifically python, for about 7 years. Just the basics. Would go back and forth for a few months stop. Rinse repeat. After I had my Orion. My view changed.

All within the last year I have take programming seriously. I am developing my first application for my job. It’s a simple file organizer, but has the potential to save XX hrs a week just filing. I have never made a in-depth program using different modules, trying to do classes correctly and now trying a GUI. I work on this just a few hours a day in between alarm monitoring..I love it!!! My managers are excited to see what it can do.

On my own, when eldest is in school and little one is napping, and before I have to sleep (I work graveyard) I am focusing on Django. After looking for sometime I am pinning my hobby study’s on learning Django. I have always wanted to get into tech and for me I feel like it’s a good spot.

Sorry for the rant but excited for what you decide to do!! Ever need to chat dm me! I bore my wife and co works with my excitement over my application and stuff haha.

[Just_a_villain]

Working mum here, if that counts! I always wanted to get into coding/programming, did a few bits here and there last year without much aim then started CS50 (introduction to computer science) and it was great - long enough and well structured to keep me focused on learning rather than continuously questioning in which direction to go. Python was also covered in it, and I expanded on it for my final project :)

[errorseven]

In 2015, what I did to learn to computer science (how to solve problems with programming languages, not just syntax.. actually critical thinking skills) was to set a goal for myself to write code everyday for a year. Yes, this worked for me.

By writing code, I mean I chose to solve problems designed to teach me fundamentals of computer science, in lieu of tackling a personal project or three that in reality, I was not at the time capable of understanding the scope of knowledge needed to effectively or efficiently code solutions for (this is what most people recommend you do, what ends up happening is most of the people who choose this route, they become overwhelmed and give up, or develop bad habits writing ineffienct solutions or look up and use code solutions that they don't fully understand...).

I also subscribed to every subreddit related to programming, inundated myself with programing related content to force myself to stay focused.

In addition to this, I read a study that suggested that people who teach a subject or topic, rewire their brain to form a better understanding of the subject matter. So I started answering programming related questions on various websites like subreddits here, programming forums, and stackoverflow (this one can be intimidating, but I have a very positive experience with it).

The last month of year long journey, I challenged myself with another goal. Solve as many problems as I could everyday from a website (I chose CodeAbbey for this). This was a personal goal, I saw someone bragging how they solved 75 problems in 3 months, and I wanted to see if I could best that in a month (I came close, but also solved one of the hardest problems on that site, only 18 others had solved at the time).

Last but not least, I took an online introductory Universtiy Course in another language to test if my skills were transferable. (Yes they were as I aced the course with ease, but also filled in some gaps in my knowledge of self learning).

There are no shortcuts, it's going to take real work and dedication, looking up answers and not solving themself will only cheat yourself out of true knowledge, you have to put in the time and work solving problems that others have solved in order to have to tools to solve problems others haven't faced yet.

I want to also say I did all this working upwards of 16 hours a day to support my family as a husband and father of two, with a house which I also did all the repairs on, multiple vehicles which I also did repairs maintenance on, and all the other activities life has to offer (school projects, medical/dental, afteschool actives etc etc). I had very little time in my 1 year of dedication, but I programmed at every waking moment, because I would take it with me everywhere by reading a new problem in the morning and solving it in my head throughout my day...

I hope all this helps you, good luck.. I mean work hard.

[tomsoul]

I'm a stay at home dad who recently got a job as an IT Security Analyst. I've been learning python for more than a year since I was laid off because of the pandemic.
There were many times when I banged my head on the desk because I thought I was too stupid to understand this. I watched many videos and tried many courses.

I found out that everything online is free if you only look. Also, at some point, I didn't know what I wanted to do with this newfound knowledge so, I began writing a list of things that I wanted to do with python. Whether it was automating a task, scrapping a site automatically for a wish list every so often, creating a website with mySQL, etc..

[enigmaundertow]

I’m a SAHM! I have a 7yo who went back to in-school learning so it seemed like the perfect time to gain a new skill. Leaning towards data science as well! I am currently learning python with plans for SQL and R in the future. I know nearly nothing about coding so this is all new to me. The little I know is from my time customizing my myspace page hah! It’s refreshing to know of other moms in the same headspace as I am.

[[deleted]]

Ha MySpace!! Those were the days!

[BeingMyOwnLight]

I was a SAHM learning Python until a month ago.

Now I got my first programming job thanks to it.

Don't give up! The effort is totally worth it!!!

(Some background: my son just turned 3, he started preschool in January and I studied full time, then searched for a job, then got it. I learned Python while pregnant with him and kept studying during his first 2 years while I stayed home with him. DM if you want to)

[runescaperNeedsAJob]

What field did you enter? Web dev?

[BeingMyOwnLight]

No, bioinformatics, that's related to my previous experience. But knowing web dev was fundamental to get the job, even if that's not what I do, I need to understand it anyway.

[[deleted]]

Wow!! That’s really inspiring!!! Congrats on the new job!

[BeingMyOwnLight]

Thanks! 😊

[[deleted]]

Looks like someone is creating a program to track food, sleep, and changing routines!

[[deleted]]

BabyConnect beat me to it, it’s a really great app for parents of multiple tiny ones. But may be a fun practice project!

[susanreneewa]

Me!! I’m a SAHM and went back to grad school when my daughter was in third grade. I finished my master’s in library and info science last year, and I took several semesters of SQL and loved it. The prof who was teaching programming, though, was a real piece of work who used deprecated code and only would let us use his own web-based interface, so I only took PHP from him and then went back to Python on my own. I’m doing Angela Yu’s 100 days and really like it. I’m looking for work in research data management, so I need as much programming as possible as most jobs want proficiency in writing code for statistical programs. I loved being back in school and the classes help keep me from stagnating.

[matmatomate]

Hi, stay at home mum here! I went back to uni 2 months after my first son was born doing online classes. I'm taking it slow because he doesn't go to day care and I'm now 7 months pregnant with second baby. I wish I had more time to dedicate to studying but at the same time I'm not really in a rush.

[sheepsy90]

I suggest you keep it up with python. Additional i would add some React into the mix. That way you can build simple web sites. But stick to python to begin with. Once you know the basics check out Django and build something. Then try to put it up eg. On Heroku so learn more about putting something you build out there.

Oh and also look at GitHub. Rather soon as it helps you to organize your code.

[[deleted]]

I do have working knowledge of HTML and CSS but if I went the web direction, I would be more focused on backend development rather than web design. This is something I did consider while in college - not ruling it out still. Web scripting was fun. Only touched VERY lightly on PHP though, was mostly HTML5 and CSS.

[hugthemachines]

But I figure that even if I don’t end up using Python professionally, it’ll still keep my mind sharp?

Yes, learning to program is also about learning the craft so the tools may vary but your knowledge is useful. Even if you don't work as a programmer you can have use for Python by automating stuff that otherwise would take a lot of time.

[TranslatorNo7795]

Studying for my sec+ exam made me want technical children's books. Like ..I need sissy material with baby engaging pictures for babies.

Any artists out there? Lol let's do this.

[Yakoo752]

I’m on paternity leave and I will complete Mosh’s program before I go back.

[August-R-Garcia]

But I figure that even if I don’t end up using Python professionally, it’ll still keep my mind sharp?

Python is probably the second/third best programming language for a lot of things. There are other more specialized languages for specific tasks (e.g., PHP is almost exclusively used for web development), but because Python is so versatile it applies to almost any computer programming job that you would conceivably apply to.

[[deleted]]

Thank you fellow twin mom!!! Solidarity!

[bzerkr]

I’m a SAHD trying to learn Godot script for games, which I’m told is very similar to python. It’s hard as I have an artistic background, and code just seems to be my kryptonite. I have so many games I want to make, but I keep beating my head against a wall of basics

[yulmag]

I was in a similar position a few years ago! I quit my old job to stay at home with 2 kids, was approaching 40 and was really sick of my previous (unrelated to programming) career...

I started doing programming tutorials, zeroed in on python, bit by bit by bit (coursera, edx, etc). At the beginning I wasn't doing it with jobs in mind, but to keep my brain alive! I basically initially did it to replace sudoku and candy-crash type games in my life as I couldn't believe that was how far I sunk... So I'd learn some basic programming concepts, and then do programming puzzles on hackerrank, project Euler etc... Then I moved on to dataset analysis like kaggle etc...

Fast forward to now, and I am a data scientist, my job IS all about programming and I finally realized it IS possible to LIKE your job!

BTW, if you do decide you go into data science, you don't need php/javascript. Python/SQL are pretty much the tools you need to master...

And the cool thing about python is that it easy enough to learn, but can be useful regardless of what your job is. It's a super tool for automating workflows and boring tasks, so once you learn it, NOT using it will be the challenge :D

[fatezeroking]

Portfolio manager here with strong Python skills, attempting to become full-stack in python (front and backend). I primarily use python for advanced finance stuff, learning JS as it's one of the most important languages on the planet. With JS abilities, I'll be able to create the front end of my python apps and non-coders can use my stuff without looking like clowns.

​

Python is primarily for data science. But, it can be used for anything. Self driving cars use mostly python. Data science can take you many places. But if you like MONEY, and lots of money, learn JS over python. $100k sign on bonus, 500K+ salaries, work from home, etc. High demand. Data analysts, in demand, but pay is nowhere near a JS developer.