I recently wrote that I finally decided to learn Python. I just finished the second day of lessons. I'm learning from Google Gemini as a tutor. The lessons are geared towards eventually working with AI. It seemed like a good idea to write about my progress as a form of accountability. I risk losing interest and not learning more than a few lessons without sharing my progress.
Fortunately, Gemini is running through this at what is relatively breakneck speed compared to my college experience. I'm aware that it is leaving out many details in each lesson. I think it is trying to make me somewhat functional to where I can do some basic work. Then, as problems arise, I can backfill my knowledge with what was glossed over.
Today's Lessons
Today's lessons were a bit more involved than the previous day, which is written below. Overall, we covered Lists, Dictionaries, For loops, and Functions. Looking over the syllabus, we seem to have skipped over floating point numbers, tuples, and while loops. I brought this to Gemini's attention, so we'll cover that in our next lesson.
The next lesson will cover more reading and writing files, error handling, introduction to Python libraries, and using pip to install libraries. So far, I have been working in a shell account to which I subscribe. I do worry that some of the libraries won't be available and I won't be able to download new ones. If that happens, I'll need to move my practice to my local computer. I don't like adding cruft to my computer.
First day of lessons
The first day of lessons consisted of learning variables, data types, user input, and conditional logic. These are the most basic components of any language. With just this you can write some very basic scripts. This is the boring, yet necessary, stuff that put me off from learning all this time.
Maintaining Pace
The Python lessons in Gemini are relatively short and very basic. This works for me as I can advance more quickly and avoid mental burnout that happens when you sit around thinking hard for hours. After each lesson, I still have mental energy in reserve.
I read somewhere that people generally only have about four hours of hard productivity in them each day. Beyond that, people aren't as effective. This is true of both hunter-gatherers and knowledge workers. If you can get four hours of focused effort into your workday, you can be successful. Of course, the problem is the never-ending interruption most jobs entail.
Future Learning
It is a bit worrying that Gemini will soon dump me into the deep end of the swimming pool. After this next lesson, we are going to jump into AI Libraries. Gemini is not fooling around. Swimming in the deep end, I'll need to start supplementing my knowledge of Python, designing projects, and Statistics. It couldn't hurt to figure out how to use git and github.
For now, I'm working through a terminal. But I suspect I'll have to start using something more advanced. There's more to being a developer than knowing how to code. There is a process with which I am not familiar. It's a new adventure.
I love python! I use it almost daily and it's so powerful!
Started using it a few years ago and still feel like a beginner!
Lately working on python script that connects to google API to do SEO reports for possible client websites! So powerful!!!! Runs off a pi4!!
That's incredible. That's my hope, that I'll be able to custom roll tools for business.
How long did it take you from learning Python to working on projects?
About a week and a bit. I had AI step me through it and told it to teach me.
I do have a lot of programming experience though, especially with PHP and 'SQLs.
Think of a simple python project and have it step you through it and paste the errors for it to tell you what to do to fix it.
Setting up the environment was tricky for me but I figured it out eventually!
I made a Discord Music bot that connects to my plex server using python.
I made a "metadata scrubber" tool that you can upload files from a webgui and it strips out the metadata!
I made a python script on windows that scans the event viewer for SSH attacks and blocks the IP using window firewall and saves the event to a log file!
Current project is Pick Your Own Path game ( like those Choose your own Adventure books)
You can pretty much make anything with python!
Thanks. Seems I should have started sooner.
I had a Choose Your Own Adventure idea for running a business. Not like lemonade Tycoon. It would involve the financials somehow.
You’ve given me ideas for IT automation.
What do you need 7+ screens for? 😂
Right? I wish I had 7 screens for real. One for email. One for Hive. One for terminals. One for YouTube. I don't know what I would use the remaining 3 for.
I got some Python for Hive tutorials on my blog...
But AI won't really help you much...
I'll check it out. Thanks!
Since you are posting to be accountable, does that mean we should ask if we don't see anything? LOL
Yes. But it’s a short course. I’ll be done soon
Ahhh, but the learning never stops! That's one thing I've learned. It never stops.
I am also looking to get into the Python, I did installed it to run a few backtesting on my strategy but not satisfied with the results.
I used the code from chatgpt and copied it directly.
I think it's high time that I get into it with some skin in the game the halfassed attempts may not yield the results I am seeking.
Good luck with your journey ♥️☮️
Good luck to you as well. I suspect we'll reach a point where we see opportunities to use Python to solve problems everywhere, eventually.