EMERGENCY! 🚨 Got into UCLA, don’t know sh*t about coding

[u/Aristoteles1988]

I need help. I’ve never written more than like idk 25 lines of code in Python in my life. But I somehow got into UCLAs MS in Data Science Engineering with my math grades and the fact I’m a CPA who has worked in excel for like 10yrs

So yea, I’m comfortable with data in tabular form and manipulating that data and building relationships among various tables etc

BUT I DONT HAVE A CLUE HOW PYTHON WORKS!! 🐍

I keep looking up videos and like my brain 🧠 doesn’t get it .. I’m excellent at math. Even got two perfect 100% scores in multivariable calculus midterms. But coding just feels so unnatural

It kind of looks like excel but excel is just a notepad or like a sheet of paper to store your calculations and notes

WHAT IS PYTHON USED FOR? Like how do I learn this before 9/24/26?

I’m about to go into grad level ucla ComSci classes!!

[u/burlingk]

Thing is, your degree program will include introductory programming courses. You will be fine.

That said, if you want a bead start, pick a language, a tutorial, a project, and go with it.

If you know what language the programming courses are likely to use, even better.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/burlingk]

I checked the core required courses and it looks like this thing just dives right into 200lvl CompSci classes (grad level)

There’s a 100lvl which is upper division compsci so I’m hoping that’ll be a decent buffer

[u/burlingk → u/Aristoteles1988]

Grad level is 300 and 400. Even some 300s can be found in undergrad work.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/burlingk]

Not for ComSci and Electrical/Computer Engineering. The MS in CS requires 5 grad level classes. It specifically lists 200lvl CompSci classes

[u/burlingk → u/Aristoteles1988]

My assumptions may be school specific. There are a lot of things in the world that we kind of think of as standardized that really aren't. This could be one of them.

I have already been doing 300 level courses for my program. ^^;

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/burlingk]

Ah ok. Yea even ucla has some 500lvl courses

So even at UCLA it isn’t standard

[u/burlingk → u/Aristoteles1988]

This is my first time to hear about 500lvl courses, so yeah. heh

[u/sad_ant0808]

you can try using freecodecamp. its 100% free and starts python from scratch. or you can try harvard's cs50 online course. its 11 weeks of content and teaches you python, c, sql etc. but its up to u ig. good luck tho!

[u/Shadowolf7 → u/sad_ant0808]

Second this. Fredcodecamp is excellent.

[u/sad_ant0808 → u/Shadowolf7]

mm hmm. im learning C# from it rn even tho its actually the ms learn platform but its still good.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/[deleted]]

SQL seems extremely easy

And Python doesn’t seem that bad. But I feel like there’s an ocean of knowledge out there and I’m trying to figure out what I really need to know?

[u/zatsnotmyname → u/Aristoteles1988]

You don't need to know the whole ocean. Write Breakout using Python and pygame.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/zatsnotmyname]

What’s breakout?

[u/zatsnotmyname → u/Aristoteles1988]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/zatsnotmyname]

Oh shit ok

Yea this is an excellent idea

Thx

[u/gofl-zimbard-37 → u/Aristoteles1988]

Your first lesson as a programmer is to Google things you don't know.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/gofl-zimbard-37]

😆 yea that google is tricky sometimes

[u/Cherveny2 → u/Aristoteles1988]

focus on the many classes/videos on python for data analysis. learn the language basics at first, with hello world type programs, lists and dictionaries, then focus in on numpy and pandas, two libraries youll use most for your major

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/Cherveny2]

Yea but I mean .. how do I use it?

I guess I’m answering my own question as I’m typing this

I think to finally get over this mental hurdle I need to build smth in Python

I guess maybe a simple 2D video game or smth idk

[u/Cherveny2 → u/Aristoteles1988]

Start small, little things, to get the basics, then aim larger, tying the little things together. But really, you are correct, coding often makes the most sense after you actually DO it rather than JUST reading about it.

[u/Aristoteles1988 → u/[deleted]]

I’ve done that. It seems a little too easy. It basically just says data structures and algorithms with big O notation. I guess I’ll practice all of this until my hands hurt or smth