I second what others have said about the tutorials. I have not read "how to think like a ..." but from other posting here I have reservations about it as a starting point.
-----Original Message----- From: Simon Brunning [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 4:42 AM To: john boy Cc: python-list@python.org Subject: Re: Is Python worth it?? On 14/11/05, john boy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I have started out trying to learn Python for my first programming language. > I am starting off with the book "how to think like a computer scientist." > I spend about 4-5 hrs a day trying to learn this stuff. It is certainly no > easy task. I've been at it for about 1-2 weeks now and have a very > elementary picture of how Python works. I am teaching myself from home and > only recieve help from this forum. Can anybody give me a timeframe as to > how long it usually takes to pick something like this up, so I can maybe > figure out a way to pace myself? I can dedicate a good amount of time to it > everyday. Any advice on what is the best way to learn Python? I am a > fairly educated individual with a natural sciences degree (forestry), so I > also have a decent math background. Are there any constraints > mathematically or logic "wise" that would prevent me from building a firm > grasp of this language? Keep at it. Everyone is different, so don't worry about how long it takes you vs. how long others might take. If you have no programming background, there's a lot to learn. Using Python is a good choice, I think, 'cos it gets a lot of extranious crud that many other languages insist on out of your way, but there's still a lot to learn. The best way to learn? Go through the tutorials - but if you get an idea for a mini-project of your own, don't be afraid to dive off and give it a go. Try to solve you own problems for a while, 'cos that's a valuable skill, but don't get to the point of frustration. Ask for help here or on the tutor mailing list[1]. And have fun. [1] http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor -- Cheers, Simon B, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.brunningonline.net/simon/blog/ -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information contained in this message may be privileged and / or confidential and protected from disclosure. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this message and deleting the material from any computer. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
