Is it Difficult to Learn Python?

Yes! No! Maybe? There are as many answers as there are people. Don't let anyone discourage you from achieving your goal. Learn Python and develop the skills that are in high demand right now.

What would you do if I told you learning Python IS difficult? Would you try anyway? Or would you give up immediately? Learning new skills is demanding in general. You need time, discipline, and a clearly stated goal. But with all those tools, the path to achieving your objectives can be easier and faster.

The same thing is true when learning a new programming language. When you start to learn Python, you experience challenging moments for sure. Everything is new. You need to find time to complete another lesson. There are some difficult exercises in your path.

But with the right motivation and a good approach, you can make it all an interesting and fascinating journey. Let’s find out why it is worth trying.

Why Python?

It may not be very obvious to you what Python is. It’s an interpreted, high-level, general-purpose programming language. It runs on a server, processes the logic behind user inputs, and interacts with databases and other servers.

Python is now one of the most popular and in-demand programming languages. As you can see in the Stack Overflow survey, it ranks higher than SQL or Java as the third most popular programming technology in the world, with an extremely wide range of uses.

In recent years, Python has become commonly used in data science, data mining, AI, machine learning, graphic design applications, web development, and many other areas. It is a great alternative to languages with similar functionalities like R, C, and Java as an easier, more efficiently written alternative.

What’s more, Python is a very beginner-friendly and user-friendly language because of its simple syntax, its many tools, and extensive documentation. Taking your first steps with Python won’t overwhelm you with complex and difficult code. It’s easy to code and test in Python right away. You also reinforce good programming habits with it.

One of its important advantages is the support from the Python user community, which has grown a lot in the last few years. The community is a huge library of knowledge. It is important not to get stuck when learning Python, and you can leverage the experience of other programmers to solve your problem immediately. With the support of the community, it is easy to get hints and find recommendations for tutorials, courses, and solutions.

There are many more advantages to learning and using Python. If you want to get to know some real-life examples of its use, check out this article on 5 Reasons to learn Python.

The First Steps in Learning Python

When you are ready to start learning Python, plan your training path. It is important to take it easy and take small steps, so you don't get discouraged quickly.

Think about how much time you can spend on learning each day or week. Find an online Python course that suits your needs.

Why online? It is the most flexible and friendliest way to learn today. Interactive online courses are perfect for learning Python. You have plenty of exercises to do. After each exercise, you can get feedback or hints if needed.

Learning a new language requires a lot of practice. This is why online training is a good choice. You have a path starting from the basic level up to more advanced topics. You learn gradually, with the opportunity to go back and repeat lessons that are challenging for you.

Start from the beginning, even if you have some previous experience with technical topics, and even if you have tried other programming languages like SQL. Choose a basic course that guides you through the most important topics.

Python Basics on LearnPython.com is a perfect option even for someone with no IT background. It’s a package of three interactive Python courses and takes around 38 hours to complete. In this track, which teaches you Python 3, you learn the basic programming concepts:

• How a computer program is structured.
• How computer programs make decisions with “if” statements.
• How a program repeats instructions with “for” and “while” loops.
• How to structure your program using functions.
• How to read from files and write information into files.
• What the basic data structures are in Python: lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets.

After this learning track, you will have a solid foundation for deepening your knowledge in Python. You will also receive a certificate after each of the three courses. You can benefit from the support of the learning community and share your problems as well as your success!

Raising the Bar in Python

If you want to take a bigger step forward, you can start with a more extensive learning track, Learn Programming with Python. There are five courses in this track: the same 3 courses of the Python Basics track, plus Python Data Structures in Practice and Built-in Algorithms in Python. In addition to the basic syntax and the programming fundamentals, you learn more about the data structures in Python and practice their most common usage scenarios.

Also, there are more great options for those who already have some experience in programming as well as for those who are interested or involved in data science. The online learning track Python for Data Science contains five courses focused on the data science field:

• Introduction to Python for Data Science.
• Working with Strings in Python.
• How to Read and Write JSON Files in Python.
• How to Read and Write CSV Files in Python.
• How to Read and Write Excel Files in Python.

Each course takes an average of 10 hours to complete. Believe me – it won't be a waste of time! You get hundreds of coding challenges and interactive exercises. This can be a strong start for you in the data science domain.

Learning online is not just about completing courses on a learning platform. If you are serious about learning Python or any other programming language, look at a variety of sources.

For example, you can search for information on blogs like the one on LearnPython.com. If you prefer to listen or watch, you can find a lot of hints, tutorials, courses on YouTube, or find a podcast to listen to. And don’t forget about the good old-fashioned books! If you are not sure what is worth reading, you can use our list of the best Python books.

The Obstacles and the Reward

Just like anything else, your path in learning Python won’t always be a straight line. It won’t be easy every day. There are some things you should keep in mind to avoid failure. Take some time and analyze your goal and your main motivation. You will need it when things get tough. Stay strong!

To give you a bit of extrinsic motivation: Python can open new career paths. You can work as a Python developer, a data scientist, or a web developer, just to mention a few.

As a Python developer, you build software to make work easier for others. With a bit more experience, you create apps by writing codes. Python developers can count on a good salary, starting at $60,000 per year, up to $110,000 as a senior developer.

As a web developer, you work with websites and applications. Your job is to make sure everything there is functioning properly.

The data scientist is now one of the hottest jobs. In this role, you work more broadly and deeply with data. A data scientist's job is to create predictive and classification models. The main goal is to predict trends, patterns, and behaviors to help the company grow. According to research by Glassdoor, a data scientist can earn over $117,000 on average.

Learn Python!

As you can see, there is so much to gain from learning Python. Not only is the money there, but the job itself is rewarding. It provides a lot of opportunities to grow and develop professionally. With the Python language, you can go in many different directions and find a rewarding and fulfilling career path.

If you are still not sure, I can add the language is named after Monty Python. That should convince you!

Source: giphy.com