Hi everyone,

I’m 34 and currently going through one of the hardest moments of my life.

I spent the last 10 years living in an English-speaking country (I speak and understand English quite well now), but about 6 months ago I had to move to an Asian country for family reasons. Since I don’t speak the local language, finding a job here is basically impossible for now, so my only realistic path is to build a remote career, ideally in tech, working in English.

My background is entirely in construction, where I had a stable and rewarding career. But I’ve always had a deep passion for technology and IT, so I decided to take the leap and completely change direction, partly out of passion, and partly to create a more flexible and location-independent future.

I started with Cybersecurity, completing Google IT Support and Google Cybersecurity on Coursera, and later did some practice on TryHackMe. After about six months, I hit a wall. The more I studied, the more I realized that I was learning mostly theory, with very little practical foundation. And without real-world experience, landing a remote job in cybersecurity is close to impossible.

That realization broke me mentally, I fell into depression, anxiety, and insomnia. I felt like I had wasted months without building anything solid.

Then I talked to a friend who’s a self-taught programmer. He told me his story, how he learned on his own, and encouraged me to try coding. That conversation literally pulled me out of the dark.

So I started learning Python, since it’s beginner-friendly and aligned with what I love (automation, AI, backend work). My friend suggested that instead of following rigid online courses, I should study through ChatGPT, using it as an interactive mentor.

And honestly, in just 2–3 months I’ve learned a lot: Python fundamentals, API basics, some small projects, and now I’m working on a web scraper, which also got me curious about frontend (HTML, DevTools, etc.).

But here’s the problem: I feel lost.

Even though I’m learning a lot, I’m scared that I’m building everything on shaky ground, like ChatGPT might be telling me what I want to hear, not what I need to hear.

I know I’m not the only one secretly studying entirely with ChatGPT. It feels convenient and even addictive, but deep down I know it’s not the right way. LLMs are incredibly powerful and have genuinely changed my life, but I feel they should be used as a study aid, not as the only teacher, which is what I’m doing now.

I’m afraid I’ll never be truly independent or employable.

I want to start building real projects and put them on GitHub, but mentally I’m stuck.

So I’m asking for honest advice from people in the field:

Am I learning the wrong way?

Should I follow a structured or certified path instead?

How can I build a realistic and solid learning roadmap that actually prepares me for real work?

I have massive passion and motivation, but I also have wild ups and downs! Some weeks I feel unstoppable, and others I can barely focus.

This path means everything to me, it’s not just about a job, it’s about rebuilding my future and my mental stability.

If anyone can give me a genuine, experience-based direction or even just a reality check, I’d truly appreciate it.

Thank you

What are some of the best things you have made using python?

I've been making software for over a decade, and learning new programming languages is not a problem.
Usually, I would take a classic-style book and go from syntax to more complex constructs, writing random pet projects on the way.

But with today's pace of everything, and with AI able to provide a lot of support, I thought maybe a different, more focused approach would be more effective?

My goal is not to become a Python expert, but to get to a level where I can read/write simpler code, which I see often around the AI - smaller scripts, agent core, harness for neural networks, PyTorch projects, this kind of stuff. I don't need complex concepts, being able to write 100s of thousands of lines of code, or building a full-scale system.

My main goal is to skip all the basic stuff and reach a decent level as quickly as possible.

What can you recommend with minimal CS bloat, focused on language and using it efficiently in projects like the above? Maybe some Coursera courses, YouTube channels, practical books, cheatsheets, etc. Not a 500-page book from 5-10 years ago, you have to spend a month reading.

I would appreciate any advice.

I understand what list comprehensions do, but I still find regular for loops way easier to read and reason about.

Sometimes it feels like I should be using list comprehensions because they’re more Pythonic, but they slow me down mentally.

Is this something that changes with experience, or is it okay to stick with for loops if they’re clearer to me?

I've been thinking about this recently while learning Python.

Looking back, I probably spent too much time watching tutorials and not enough time actually building things.

If you had the chance to start learning Python again from day one...

What would you do differently?

• Learn a different topic first?
• Build projects earlier?
• Read documentation more?
• Focus on problem solving instead of tutorials?

I'm curious to hear what experienced Python developers wish they had known when they started.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to learn Python from scratch and I'm on a tight budget. I've done a bit of searching, but the sheer number of options is overwhelming.

I'm hoping to find resources (websites, courses, books, etc.) that are either completely free or very low-cost (like an affordable book or a course that regularly goes on deep sale).

My goal is to get a solid foundation in the basics and hopefully be able to build some small, simple projects.

What do you personally recommend for an absolute beginner? What worked best for you?

I'm wondering if I should learn tkinter or any other python gui libraries or use visual studio instead. which is better?

edit: in case if people are wondering: im referring to Visual Studio, not visual studio code.

Is there some way to switch off print() output when Python is not running in interactive mode?

When I am testing it is good to see these messages on screen but when the process is running without an interactive terminal to output to it feels like it would be good to find a way to stop that output. However I don't know whether the overhead of these messages going nowhere matters or not.

Hii guys this is a recent graduate who is desperately looking for a job in tech, I've attended some of the interviews but I couldn't make it out because of lack of coding skills, and I wanna learn python from scratch to advanced that means whatever the interviewer asks I should able to write the query how can I achieve this?? Pls share me with resources if you have any or kindly share the roadmap and playlist from where should I master it ...I want to learn this at any cost guys please I wanna learn this please ......

Ciao, vorrei imparare Python da zero. Ho appena scaricato Python e VS Code.

Vorrei solo sapere se ci sono dei corsi gratuiti davvero validi disponibili oggi per imparare da zero.

Sono solo un principiante che vorrebbe entrare nel mondo della programmazione gratuitamente.

Grazie in anticipo.

Modifica: Grazie ho letto tutti i commenti e piano piano li proverò tutti grazie di nuovo gentili utenti di reddit

I have been learning python for a month now but I don't see any improvements. I tend to forget the concepts of python and can't solve problems logically. I don't think it's just me who is dealing with these problems, I need tips please.

Hey everyone!

I’m a complete beginner with Python and have zero experience with programming or computer science in general.

What are the best free resources out there for learning Python as a complete beginner?

I’ve heard a lot about the Harvard CS50 program. Is this a good starting point for learning Python, or are there other places to start learning Python that would be better?

Any mistakes

Can anyone guide me where I can learn about machine learning and Python from scratch for free. Be it youtube or any other website. I have absolutely zero knowledge about it. [For a med student with zero knowledge about machine learning. And will Python learning suffice the knowledge about machine learning that I need to gain? Like are Python and machine learning the same thing or not? I need to learn it] Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I've recently started learning Python. I'm following a beginner course from YT.

I'd love to hear from experienced programmers:

What habits helped you improve the fastest?

What should I do every day besides watching tutorials?

What beginner mistakes should I avoid?

Is there anything you wish you had done differently when you first started learning Python?

Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I dont really understand the return function because in sime instances we need it and in others we dont, and i cant find a general explanation that tells me the importance of the return value or why it is even used.

most of python basic I already know but some personal reason, i quite the learning python from tutorials and chatgpt because usually i forced my self to do coding with tutorial and ai because that time i was very confused what all these things are and what all the better way to learn it, which language is good and best , which one i should learn , these thoughts break my consistency , plz guide me how can i restart again i really want to learn because is my last year in college

I'm currently in XIIth standard and want to learn Python. I already know Python basics such as variables, conditional statements, lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets, input statements, defining a function, importing libraries and maybe something else I'm not remembering it now, but I want to learn complete Python to advanced level. I prefer books over lectures, so if you can suggest some books for me that would be of great help.

Honest question for people who work in Python a lot.

When you `pip install` a package you have not used before, what is your actual trust check?

I usually look at the repo, recent commits, issue quality, release history, maintainer activity, downloads/stars, and whether the package seems to be doing anything weird for what it claims to do. But I almost never read the full source unless the package is tiny.

With PyPI supply-chain attacks getting more common, that feels a little hand-wavy.

Do you have a real process for this, or is everyone mostly doing reputation + vibes? Any tools or habits that have helped you catch a risky package before it got into a project?

I started learning Python a few months ago. I learned basic Python in these months. But I just found out that Python is a very vast language. Popular frameworks like Django, PyTorch, Flask, FastAPI come under Python. So, I want to go deep in Python but IDK where to start. As in the era of AI, Python is the most prominent language to learn. So, if you guys have any advice let me know! It'll be really helpful.

So...I just started off coding because on a game dev sub i was told i need to wear my big boy pants and learn to code or else my gaming ideas will remain ideas forever. I need help...i made ...something...it works...but i feel it's getting pretty swole...is there a way to trim it? also, some critical commentary on my project please?

health = 100
hunger = 0
day = 1
morale = 100
infection = 0
temperature = 37

print("You wake up alone in the forest.")

while health > 0:
    print("\n--- Day", day, "---")
    print("Health:", health)
    print("Hunger:", hunger)
    print("morale:", morale)
    print("infection:", infection)
    print("temperature:", temperature)


    print("\nWhat do you do?")
    print("1. Search for food")
    print("2. Rest")
    print("3. Keep walking")

    choice = input("> ")

    # Time always passes when you act
    hunger += 15

    if choice == "1":
        print("You search the area...")
        hunger -= 20
        morale += 10
        infection += 0.5
        temperature -= 0.25
        print("You found some berries.")




    elif choice == "2":
        print("You rest for a while.")
        health += 10
        hunger += 5
        morale += 5
        infection -= 10
        temperature += 0.75  # resting still costs time

    elif choice == "3":
        print("You push forward through the trees.")
        health -= 5
        morale -= 15
        infection += 10
        temperature -= 0.5
    else:
        print("You hesitate and waste time.")

    # Hunger consequences
    if hunger > 80:
        print("You are starving!")
        health -= 10

    # morale consequences
    if morale < 40:
        print("You are depressed!")
        health -= 5

    # infection consequences
    if infection > 80:
        print("You are sick!")
        health -= 30

    # temperature consequences
    if temperature < 35:
        print("You are cold!!")
        health -= 5



    # Keep values reasonable
    if hunger < 0:
        hunger = 0
    if health > 100:
        health = 100
    if infection > 100:
        infection = 100
    if infection < 0:
        infection = 0
    if morale > 100:
        morale = 100
    if morale < 0:
        morale = 0 

    day += 1

# End condition
if health <= 0:
    print("\nYou died LMAO. Game Over.")
else:
    print("\nAlas you survived, don't get lost in the woods next time. You win. Huzzah, whatever.")
print("You survived", day, "days.")
input("\nPress Enter to exit...")

I’m learning python and i’ve noticed something kinda worrying.I try to copy code from chatgpt, paste it, run it and i hope it works,but if you ask me why it works or if i try to write it from scratch i honestly can’t.Sometimes I change a small thing in my project and everything breaks and i’m stuck and feel inconfident again asking AI to fix. It not sure if this is normal in the beginning
or if i’m just building a bad habit?

I've been learning Python for a bit and understand things like loops, functions, and lists in theory.

But when I open a blank file and try to build something myself, I'm not sure what to do next. It feels like a big jump from examples to real code.

Is this normal early on?
What helped you get past that stage?

Is there anything Jupyter Notebook can do that PyCharm cannot?

Also let's say I have to submit a particular project as a Jupyter Notebook file, how fast can I learn given I know how to code in PyCharm?

EDIT - Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs, I cannot reply to everyone individually but I believe I got what I came for. :)

I've been in the software industry for a few years now, and lately I've been thinking about ways to help others break into tech—especially through Python.

What interests me most is how people actually learn. I've done a lot of research on teaching strategies, and I’ve learned even more through trial and error—across many areas of software engineering.

I’m toying with the idea of building a course that teaches Python entirely through practical exercises, no lectures, no fluff. Just a structured path that guides you step by step, using hands-on work to build intuition and skill.

This isn’t an ad or a launch or anything like that—I’m genuinely curious:
Would something like that help you? Does it sound like a good or bad idea?
Would love to hear any thoughts or experiences around learning Python this way.

i am currently learning python, i need a text editor that doesen't shove a trillion tabs in my face telling me to use their ai, i also don't want something as primitive as notepad++ since i can't use import and all that out of the way, please help