Is Python Hard to Learn?

Have you heard about Python? And if so, have you ever wondered if it's hard to learn? In this article, I will tell you what Python is and why learning it in 2023 is a good idea.

Python is a computer programming language widely used for web development, scientific computing, data analysis, Artificial Intelligence, and many other applications. It is considered one of the world's most popular programming languages and is consistently ranked as a top language by various reports.

Python is known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it an excellent choice for beginners. Learning Python comes with many benefits beyond employable skills. Conquering this language is more than learning a technical skill; it’s also about broadening one's horizons!

Why Learn Python?

Python’s clear syntax and structure make this programming language easy to read and understand, while its wide range of libraries and frameworks make it a powerful tool for more advanced developers. For more on this, read our articles that compare Python with Java and Python with JavaScript using practical examples.

To learn Python programming from scratch (with zero IT or programming experience), it's best to take our online Python Basics course. Its 95 interactive exercises will give you a ton of opportunities to practice. You only need a web browser; we provide everything else, including a programming console. Once you are done with this course, here is your next step. And by the way,  Python Basics: Part 1 is free at the time of writing!

Python is consistently ranked as one of the top programming languages by the TIOBE Index and GitHub's annual Octoverse report. Python's popularity is due to its versatility and wide range of applications. It has a large and supportive community that provides help and resources for learning the language.

Additionally, Python has a vast ecosystem of libraries, frameworks, and tools that make it easy to perform complex tasks.

In summary, Python is a versatile and widely-used programming language that is easy to learn, read and understand. It has a wide range of applications in computer science and technology and a large and supportive community. It is worth learning Python for its simplicity, versatility, and its vast ecosystem of libraries, tools, and frameworks.

How Hard is it to Learn Python?

While you might find yourself motivated to learn Python, you might wonder whether it’s easy for everyone to learn.

Fear not! Compared to other programming languages, Python is easy for beginners to grasp. In fact, it was designed to be quick to learn. Its simple commands and clear structure make it an excellent choice for beginners. However, like any programming language, the level of difficulty will depend on the individual's background and experience with programming as well as on how you plan to use Python. So, let’s look at some popular use cases for this language.

Python Use Cases

As you will see, this list of Python uses is not short. But it’s far from complete; there is much more to explore.

1. Web development: Python is widely used in web development, thanks to its powerful web frameworks like Django and Flask. These frameworks make building and maintaining large and complex web applications easy.

2. Scientific computing: Python is a popular language in scientific computing, thanks to its feature-packed libraries; NumPy and SciPy are two favorites. These libraries are used to perform complex mathematical computations and data analysis.

3. Data analysis: The Python libraries NumPy and pandas are widely used in data analysis and wrangling. They provide tools that make it easy to work with large and complex datasets.

4. Artificial intelligence and machine learning: The libraries TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, and scikit-learn (among many more) provide tools for building and training machine learning models, performing complex computations, and other complicated functionalities.

5. Computer vision: Python libraries such as OpenCV, PIL, and scikit-image are widely used in computer vision. These libraries provide image processing, object detection, video analysis, camera calibration, and other tools.

6. Natural Language Processing: Python has a lot of libraries for natural language processing, such as NLTK, spaCy, and Gensim. These libraries provide tools for text analysis, sentiment analysis, language translation, and many other NLP tasks.

7. Automation and scripting: Python can automate repetitive tasks, such as data cleaning, data scraping, and data visualization.

These are just a few examples of how Python is used. If you want to break into data science, you can check out our data science course. Read more about your future career choices after learning Python.

Python: Easy to Learn, Even With No IT Experience

Python is considered a relatively easy programming language to learn, even for people without IT experience. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Clear and simple syntax: This makes it less intimidating for people who are new to programming and may not be familiar with complex code.

2. High-level language: Python is a high-level programming language, which means it is closer to human language than machine language. This makes it easier to learn and understand than low-level languages, which are closer to machine code.

3. Large and supportive community: Python’s friendly community provides help and resources for learning the language. This includes a wealth of tutorials, documentation, and online forums where people can ask questions on specific problems.

4. Variety of applications: As mentioned previously, Python is used in a wide range of applications. If you choose to learn it, you won’t be limited to one way of using it.

5. Large ecosystem of libraries and frameworks: Python has a large ecosystem of libraries and frameworks designed to take away much of the complexity of coding. They are easy to use, allowing beginners to accomplish a lot in a relatively short time.

6. Concise: You can get a lot done with a few lines of code.

Overall, we could say that thanks to its simple syntax, supportive community, and extensive ecosystem of libraries and frameworks, Python is an excellent choice for people who are new to programming and who want to learn a powerful language that is easy to understand.

Time to Learn Python!

Python is an excellent addition to your skills, whether you are an IT professional or someone wanting to add programming skills to a non-IT job. It offers an very worthwhile reward for the amount of time you spend learning it.

What should you do next? How about trying our free Python Basics: Part 1 course to see if Python is for you? You can also read about how to learn Python faster, Python's best practices, and our tips to learn Python from scratch. Or you can enjoy a Python movie!

Happy learning!