Introduction
Learning how to code is a great venture. You end up learning a lot of things along the way. It can literally change your life as an individual. It can be risky, and you may fail, but even if you do, you still benefit from the process of trying.
I believe that even though hard skills are not always transferable, soft skills are. Programming is hard, and as such, it teaches you how to persevere (if you need to succeed). But even in perseverance, you can’t practice coding 24 hours every day, 7 days a week. You have other things you need to do with your time, and for that reason, you need to learn time management and come up with a schedule for how you are going to practice programming every day.
Speaking of every day, you need to be consistent in learning to see desirable results. It doesn’t matter how long you practice coding; if you don’t practice consistently within the given period, you’re not going to be very good.
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits that come with learning how to code (including high salaries).
So, the question now is, why is Python a great first language?
Reasons why Python is a Great First Language
Here are the reasons why I think Python is a great first language:
1. Readability:
If you have seen Python code, you can agree that it is easier to read than code in other programming languages. Python was designed to be a beginner’s language, and as such, it was made to be readable.
Compared to other programming languages like C++, Java, and Rust, Python has a syntax that is easier to read.
Here’s a simple example of Python code that demonstrates some of the basic syntax features:
# Variables and assignment
x = 5
y = 10
# Conditional statements
if x > y:
print(“x is greater than y“)
elif x == y:
print(“x is equal to y“)
else:
print(“x is less than y“)
# Loops
for i in range(5):
print(i)
# Functions
def add(a, b):
return a + b
result = add(x, y)
print(“Result of addition:“, result)
# Lists
my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
print(“First element of the list:“, my_list[0])
# Dictionaries
my_dict = {‘key1‘: ‘value1‘, ‘key2‘: ‘value2‘}
print(“Value corresponding to ‘key1‘:“, my_dict[‘key1‘])
# Classes
class MyClass:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
def greet(self):
print(“Hello,“, self.name)
obj = MyClass(“Alice“)
obj.greet()
Now, this may not mean much to you, but you can compare it to other programming languages and see for yourself.
2. Versatility:
Python is a versatile language used in various domains such as web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, scientific computing, and more. Learning Python opens up opportunities in many different fields and gives you a taste of what these fields are like. You can’t say you don’t like the dish if you haven’t tasted it.🤷
Contrary to what most people believe, having a taste of various domains of software development is a good thing. This helps you decide where you want to specialize, as opposed to choosing an area as soon as possible without knowing what other areas are like. Python gives you that opportunity to try different areas.
3. Large Community and Resources:
Python is a really popular programming language, and as such, has a vast community of developers who contribute to libraries, frameworks, and resources. This means it will be easier to get help in your learning journey, and there will be a lot resources to learn from, which will in turn reduce the chances of you giving up on learning.
Now, some may say learning JavaScript is just as easy as learning Python. However, in my opinion, it’s not. Learning JavaScript comes with learning HTML and CSS too. And CSS is not for everybody. Not to mention the number of JavaScript frameworks out there, ready to choke and overwhelm you.
In fact, Thanos misused the Infinity Stones by wiping out half of the human population. He could have used them on half of the JavaScript frameworks instead.😂
Conclusion
Programming is challenging. Choosing Python as a first language is a great way to avert some of the challenges that come with learning how to code. After learning how to code in Python, you can choose a more difficult language with which you can further learn about other areas of software engineering and coding.
we_are_not_scared_of_Devin!😁
Happy Coding!😊
