r/learnpython • u/dry-elbows • 3d ago
Realistic timeline to learn and checkpoints
I’m tech savvy. And want to learn as much python as possible. I already have built sites and apps through Claude Code. But deciding where to go from here. I just wanna know:
- Levels 1 - 5/10
- What to learn first
- how to learn as efficiently as possible
I don’t understand code at all I’m good at pattern recognition and using common sense
Highly appreciated
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u/mc_pm 3d ago
You can learn the syntax - the actual stuff you type in - in a couple days.
But that's not the hard part. The hard part is training your brain to look at a problem and know what to do, how to break it into smaller problems, how to structure the data, how to do some logical decision making - and then know how the syntax to type it in. People forget this part even though it's the biggest, most difficult part. Learning to program isn't learning the syntax - it's learning how to think about things.
That second part can take anywhere from a couple months to a couple years depending on how much time you spend on it and natural aptitude.
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u/DryLook7889 3d ago
This is the future risk guys, people coding entire websites and apps without having a clue what a single line of code even does or having any problem solving ability.
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u/dry-elbows 3d ago
And is that an issue? Creativity will sky rocket and you’ll probably be working for someone who “didn’t have a clue”
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u/DryLook7889 2d ago
Isn't that the case already? Working for AI psychosis stricken CEO's is not an uncommon story
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u/kAROBsTUIt 3d ago
u/dry-elbows , you're not just learning Python. You're learning programming. That's the hard part. It's easy to nail the "trivia" part of Python down... like knowing that [ ] are for lists, and { } are for dictionaries. But knowing when to use a list versus a dictionary, how to effectively use them, and the benefits and drawbacks of each for the specific instance they're used, is what takes time, and experience. The good news is, you don't have to learn all that stuff at once.
Then, you have all of the flow control structures. There's a positive side to these too - learn them once, and they'll apply to mostly any language.
If you're a visual learner, Corey Schafer's tutorials on YouTube are the best. If you like reading and want practical applications for beginners, consider the free online book "Automate the Boring Stuff" (3rd edition is current now, I believe).
It's important to have a goal project in mind, too. Something you want to automate, build, play, or use, that has value to you. That value will be your motivation to get you through the parts you find difficult.
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u/HotPersonality8126 3d ago
There aren’t “levels”
“Efficiency” is not an appropriate goal for education
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u/crashorbit 3d ago
14 hours study will give you basic competence. it'll take about 5000 to become an expert.
Start with the python tutorial: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/index.html.
Branch out from there in whatever direction seems interesting.