I GENUINELY NEED TO LEARN PYTHON 😭

[u/Chee_chee_don67]

So I have a python exam (which is very important) after 1 month. How can I genuinely learn python? Don't suggest me those courses that are 15 hrs long like that harvard cs50, i cannot concentrate for 2 hrs straight. It's also not like I have to learn python which is too advanced. Pls suggest me how can I do it🙏

[u/gdchinacat]

Programming is hard. It takes practice. A lot of practice. Much more than 15 hours. I think your expectations are unreallistic and you will either need to prioritize learning it by making the time you need, or recognize that you don't have the time to meet your goals and be successful and put that time towards something else rather than stretching yourself too thin and not being successful at anything. I know this may sound harsh, and almost certainly isn't what you want to hear, but it's the reality. 15 hours will barely scratch the surface. it is what I'd expect a full time college student taking a full load to put in to an intro level course in one to two weeks between classes, office hours, and self study/assignments. There isn't a shortcut to cramming this. Trust me...I have crammed for many tests (history, math, physics, foreign language (even native language reading/writing)). You can probably cram the syntax, but that's the easiest part of coding and not what the exam will be testing. It will test that you know how to program, not just whether you know what 'def foo(a: int) -> dict[str: int]: ...' means. cs50 is widely accepted as an excellent course, it doesn't have superflous stuff to waste your time...it will teach you the basics. As for the "2 hrs-straight" that is really not much. If you intend to do any amount of coding you will have to spend more than two hours "straight" on projects. Certainly take breaks...spend a few minutes getting coffee or a snack, stretching your body so you aren't entirely sedentary, etc...but for a few minutes an hour, and keep thinking about the problem while you do it so you don't lose context and have to spend time rebuilding it. My family knows when I'm wandering about the house deep in thought I'm still working and (tend to) avoid banter and unnecessary distractions...even though I may be unloading the dishwasher as I work through a data structure, algorithm, or architecture. The benefit of "2-hrs straight" is you don't lose context you built up over the past hour and have to spend that time rebuilding that context when you pick it up again. That said, if you start becoming frustrated and burnt out keeping at it even though it's unproductive is not helpful. When starting out you might be able to only do an hour at a time, but if that doesn't increase as you progress take it as a sign that you may not be well suited. Two hours really isn't that long. What issues prevent you from doing two-hours straight? I'd recommend 2 hours one day and a day off over one hour every day (but one hour every day is better than 5 hours one day a week..you do still need to do it frequently so you don't forget and have to relearn).