I keep seeing people learn Python first and I think that's a mistake

I started coding about 8 months ago and everyone online said to start with Python because it's easy. But when I tried to make a simple game after 3 months of tutorials, I couldn't figure out how memory management worked or why my code ran so slow. So I switched to C# for a Unity project, and within 2 weeks I understood variables and loops way better because the language forced me to be careful with types and brackets. Python hides too much from beginners and gives you bad habits early on. Has anyone else hit this wall where Python felt too abstract or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark61117h ago

The 3 month mark is pretty common for hitting that wall, I hit it around month 4 myself back when I learned Ruby. But I gotta wonder, is it really that serious? Different tools click for different people. @oliverbailey mentioned Java clicking for them, but I know plenty of folks who started with C and never made it past basic sorting algorithms before quitting entirely. Python hiding stuff can be a problem, sure, but so can a language that beats you over the head with memory management before you've even figured out what a variable is. Your mileage may vary, but I'd say it depends more on what you actually want to build than some universal "right" first language.

oliverbailey1d ago

Totally agree with this, hit the exact same wall when I tried building a text adventure in Python and had no clue why my lists were acting weird. Switched to Java for a class and finally understood how memory and passing stuff around actually works, it just made everything click. Python is great for scripting but it really lets beginners skate by without learning the basics.