Avoid These Common Pitfalls When Learning Python as a Beginner

DotnuelDotnuel
4 min read

"I don Arrive, I be badass tech bro, Data Scientist, Data Engineer" This was what comes to most of our minds when we output our first "Hello World" after the whole stress of learning to install it on our windows and adding to path if you use a MacBook then I must say you're lucky because most of them come with python preinstalled and even if you have to install the latest version its not much of a hassle, little wonder mac users are considered premium.

Let's talk about a few reasons why you might fail at learning to code with Python and how to avoid them, LFG ๐Ÿ’ช ๐Ÿ’ช !!!

5 Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

  • Oh, That's What This Does? OK NEXT!!

  • I Cant Practice, I Know What To Do

  • I Write How I Want As Long As it Works IDGAF ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผ

  • It Cant Be this Simple

  • Ctrl + C & Ctrl + V does the trick

Oh, That's what this does? OK NEXT!!

When learning the basics you don't take the time to understand how and why they do what they do, when learning a new language its very important to properly know what the basics are about if you take the longest time studying how pieces fit together in the basics, better, Never Rush Through The Basics, that's how you avoid this pit and skip the fall to the next phase with a better understanding of what you're doing.

I Cant Practice, I Know What To Do

The statement 'Practice makes perfect is quite underrated because of the truth it holds, the more you f**k around the more you find out, don't worry about encountering errors, it's normal just keep doing and fixing those errors you'd learn and retain more while practicing than you learn from all the tutorials and materials combined.

I Write How I Want As Long As it Works IDGAF ๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผ

Hmm, you can do whatever you want anyways but that's because Python has decided to give freedom to programmers by removing many exceptions that could be thrown for bad code that doesn't mean Python is a lawless language aside from its syntax there's the Python pep8 style guide that guides you on the best practices of how to write python code, this makes your code easy to maintain and debug(find errors), from this moment on write code according to best practices and you'd not be perceived as a 'beginner' when your code is found or read by someone else.

It Cant Be this Simple

Yes, it can, once you understand it you'd know Python is a very straightforward language and you don't have to make things overcomplicated in your head and make learning harder for you. You, yes you often try to solve complex problems with complex solutions but actually most complex problems have really simple solutions, so it's better to start with solving simple problems and then work your way up to solving complex ones and you'd see the ease it would bring you.

Ctrl + C & Ctrl + V does the trick

I left the best for the last, this is something that cannot be overemphasized, when learning to code, Do Not, I repeat DO NOT copy and paste code, typing, writing also help us impress these things into our memories better, so if you type it yourself it would be easy to remember how you did it but if you copy and paste, you'd face difficulties remembering anything you learned in the last 10 minutes in fact because we're not wired to remember that way. Typing helps build muscle memory that help us code more efficiently and remember thing more in the future.

So, these are the top common pitfalls Python newbies face and they have very frustrating effects when not avoided, sometimes you might have to go back to the basics because you encountered a problem you don't understand in the future and you'd see that you only brushed through that particular part and that could result in Imposter Syndrome later in your career so why not Avoid these pitfalls and be more engaged in your learning process.

In summary, enjoy the process, and stay grounded. You've Got This!

STAY JIGGY!

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Dotnuel
Dotnuel