A teacher at the library coding club said to start with Python, but I'm not so sure.

I was helping out last Tuesday and heard the main teacher tell a group of kids that Python is the only good first language. He said it's simple and you can build things fast. But I started with C about 15 years ago, and learning how memory works early on saved me a ton of headaches later. With Python, you can write a list without knowing what's happening under the hood. That just pushes the hard stuff down the road. Has anyone else had a better time starting with a language that makes you think about the computer itself?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.thea4d ago

That middle ground idea sounds good in theory, but I don't buy it. Starting with C taught me the rules the computer actually follows. If you begin with a language that does too much for you, you never learn why things break. You just learn how to fix them in that one language. It's like learning to drive in a car that parks itself. Sure, Go makes you think about types, but it still hides the memory. The hard stuff you push down the road with Python is still there with these newer languages. Getting the basics wrong early is better than getting them wrong later when your code is more complex.

hannah3854d ago

What about starting with something in between? C is pretty rough for a total beginner, but Python hides too much. Maybe something like Go or Rust makes you think about types and memory without the old C headaches. That middle ground could work better.