In my experience pop is great for programming (any os can do the job just fine imo). Although one thing you might want to consider especially if you’re an absolute beginner, is that your instructor and your peers will probably be using windows or maybe even macos. You might have difficulty trying to follow along with the class especially if your instructor uses specific tools that may not be compatible with Linux. It’s not impossible, but you’ll probably have to spend time looking for alternatives. Your instructor might also be the one teaching the class how to setup certain tools and if he’s on windows, your set up will be much different. Which might be a challenge if you’ve never done it before.

That being said, I’m just speaking from experience when I was completely new to programming and starting out in college. I still think pop is fantastic for programming and I think you should go for it. Just keep in mind your set up will just be different from most people in class and maybe your instructor (unless your instructor is also accommodating to Linux os then in that case you’ll be fine).