Unpopular opinion: I was wrong about needing to start with Python

Everyone in my local library's beginner group last fall said Python was the only way to start. I tried it for about three weeks and felt like I was just copying code without understanding how anything actually worked. I switched to a free online C course instead, and writing 'Hello World' with a main function and seeing the compile process step-by-step made the concepts click for me. Has anyone else found a supposedly 'harder' first language actually made more sense?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy62818d ago

Remember my friend who tried to learn with Python? He had the same issue. He told me that seeing the separate compile step in C, like @amy974 asked about, made the whole "code to computer" thing feel real, not magic. It just stuck better for him.

ray_campbell4617d ago

Ever notice how linking errors make you actually think about memory? Like wendy628 said, that separate step forces you to see the pieces. Python just hides all that work from you.

amy97418d ago

What specific part of the C compile process made things click that Python's simpler run step didn't show you? I've always wondered if seeing the build actually helps people get how code turns into a program.