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I tried learning Python with a book first, then switched to an online course called Codecademy.
The book was full of words I didn't know and made me feel stuck after two weeks, but the course had me writing simple scripts in my first hour. It felt like the hands-on practice made all the difference. For other new coders, what's been more helpful for you, reading or doing?
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hannah_fisher581mo ago
Totally get that feeling of being stuck on a book. I tried to learn guitar from a method book once and it was a brick wall. Picking up the actual guitar and fumbling through a simple song taught me more in ten minutes. My brain just shuts off with too much theory up front. I need to make the mistakes myself to see why things work.
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phoenix1491mo ago
That part about your brain needing to get its hands dirty is so true. My buddy tried to learn car repair from manuals and just got lost in diagrams. Then he just started helping his dad change the oil on a weekend. Suddenly all those parts under the hood made sense because he was touching them. He said the book info clicked way faster after he had the grease on his hands. Makes you wonder why we ever try to learn things the hard way first.
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paige1667d ago
Oh for sure, @amyb56, you just described me exactly. I tried to learn how to sew from a book and it was just confusing symbols and thread tensions, but the second I sat down at a machine and actually messed up a seam, everything the book was trying to say suddenly made complete sense. Hands on is the only way it sticks for me.
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amyb561mo ago
Noticed the same thing with cooking. Reading a recipe book puts me to sleep, but actually chopping onions and stirring a pot makes it stick. My brain needs to get its hands dirty to learn anything.
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