Just realized I picked the wrong first language and it set me back months

When I started, I had to choose between Python and C++. I went with C++ because I heard it was 'real' programming and would teach me the fundamentals. After 3 months, I could barely make a simple text game and felt completely stuck. I switched to Python last month and built a basic web scraper in a single weekend. The difference in how quickly I could see results was huge. Has anyone else found that starting with a simpler language kept you from giving up?

3 comments

3 Comments

andrew7783mo ago

But what if getting stuck in C++ taught you problem-solving that Python never would?

val_fox3mo ago

I spent a whole week debugging a memory leak in C that made me understand pointers way better. That kind of low-level fight just doesn't happen with Python.

hernandez.morgan2mo agoTop Commenter

That's a good point about C++ teaching a different kind of problem solving. The real lesson might be learning when a problem is worth solving at that level. Sometimes wrestling with memory is the right tool, but other times it just keeps you from the actual goal. Python lets you skip past the boilerplate problems to focus on higher level logic. The best skill could be knowing which language gets you to the answer faster for the task at hand.