Picked Python over JavaScript for my first language and here's what happened after 6 months

I spent like 3 weeks going back and forth on which coding language to start with. Everyone said JavaScript because it's everywhere, but Python kept calling to me because of the simpler syntax. I went with Python and after 6 months of night shifts I finally built a little script that automates part of my patient charting at work. It's not much but it saves me maybe 20 minutes per shift. Now I'm wondering if I should circle back to JavaScript or stick with Python deeper. Has anyone else picked a 'beginner' language and regretted or loved it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan84920d ago

25 minutes saved per shift adds up to like 8 hours a month, that's not nothing that's basically a free day off. I picked up Python first too but mostly because I found a used copy of Automate the Boring Stuff for $3 at a library sale. One thing nobody mentions is that Python teaches you to think about data structures and logic way before you have to deal with browser nonsense like DOM events or callback hell. When I finally tried JavaScript after a year of Python, I already understood loops and dictionaries, I just had to learn the weird syntax parts. So I'd say stick with Python for another 6 months but build something that talks to a web API, like pulling weather data or stock prices. That'll give you a taste of both worlds without going full JavaScript yet.

ninaw8820d ago

Oh man, I found Automate the Boring Stuff for $3 too except it was the digital version and my cat walked on my keyboard and bought it before I could stop her. But yeah, hitting an API with Python is the perfect middle ground, lets you feel like a hacker without drowning in semicolons.