Is Python still the best choice for beginners?

[confidence 001]

Hi guys,

I’ve seen a lot of discussions recommending Python for beginners, especially for automation and online-related tasks.

I just wanted to ask:

Is Python still the best starting point today?
Are there situations where another language would be better?
How long did it take you to get comfortable with it?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[fastproxies]

start with python then go to something more performant and advanced like c++ rust or golang if you really need to, but, if you dont need your programs to be insanely fast then python is great language to start with thats extremely versatile due to its large amount of community written libraries/modules. and dont think that python is slow either its possible to write very fast python but it'll usually get to a point where either its python itself causing you to be slowed down or a combination of the limitations of the language and whatever libraries you may be using.
these limitations at the lowest level are due to python being an interperted, not compiled language

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zyqgu7/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_a_compiled

the syntax is quite easy to get used to, its use of whitespace to terminate statements over the strict formatting formatting requirements in something c makes it far more inviting. there isnt a garbage collector you need to deal with or memory you need to be conscious of freeing after its been used. its probably the best beginners real programming language. easy to get into and extremely versatile, i think practically anybody here could benefit from learning it.

 

[MegaSmith]

Yes Python is still the easiest start for most people because syntax is simple and you can use it for many things fast. If you only care about web or apps then other languages might fit better but Python is still the safest start.

 

[baobab]

python is great to start with especially for automation and general programming basics later you can switch depending on what you want to build

 

[SmTasker]

start with AI, if things keep going like this, learning python might not do anything to help you in the near future...sad truth

 

[fastproxies]

start with AI, if things keep going like this, learning python might not do anything to help you in the near future...sad truth

ai still needs to write them in some language, and python would be the easiest to set up (just add it to path with the checkbox in the installer). its also sorta a waste of tokens to have ai change small things that you could do yourself with minimal knowledge of the language, and by working with ai like it or not youll be learning python with ai assitance.

 

[SmTasker]

ai still needs to write them in some language, and python would be the easiest to set up (just add it to path with the checkbox in the installer). its also sorta a waste of tokens to have ai change small things that you could do yourself with minimal knowledge of the language, and by working with ai like it or not youll be learning python with ai assitance.

You are totally correct, but that is true at this point in time, how about in 5-10 years or more? if you do something ideally think for the future, not just for now. I might be wrong, but that's my view atm.

 

[fastproxies]

You are totally correct, but that is true at this point in time, how about in 5-10 years or more? if you do something ideally think for the future, not just for now. I might be wrong, but that's my view atm.

if the ai is doing everything in the future then we're going to be heavily restricted as to what you're able to do with it. anytime you ask it to do anything that may slightly bend the tos of any platform or could be considered abusive in any way it wont write it, youd have to find a decent model and run it yourself, which has proven to be slightly difficult to do. (at least, efficiently and on even slightly on the same level as to what you could access from anthropic or openai with their millions in compute) as it incurs large costs at the moment.

only other option you'd have at that point in the future is to pay thousands to run a model good enough at a rate of tokens high enough (so you arent waiting hours and hours for a terrible output on a small model) or attempt to manipulate the ai into doing what you want it to. which will only get more difficult as it gets more advanced. which all goes back to just learning the languages yourself so that you arent limited to what the ai is comfortable generating for you.

 

[confidence 001]

start with python then go to something more performant and advanced like c++ rust or golang if you really need to, but, if you dont need your programs to be insanely fast then python is great language to start with thats extremely versatile due to its large amount of community written libraries/modules. and dont think that python is slow either its possible to write very fast python but it'll usually get to a point where either its python itself causing you to be slowed down or a combination of the limitations of the language and whatever libraries you may be using.
these limitations at the lowest level are due to python being an interperted, not compiled language

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/zyqgu7/eli5_what_is_the_difference_between_a_compiled

the syntax is quite easy to get used to, its use of whitespace to terminate statements over the strict formatting formatting requirements in something c makes it far more inviting. there isnt a garbage collector you need to deal with or memory you need to be conscious of freeing after its been used. its probably the best beginners real programming language. easy to get into and extremely versatile, i think practically anybody here could benefit from learning it.

Appreciate you taking the time to break this down, solid points.
Python definitely seems like a practical starting point, especially with how accessible it is and the range of things you can build with it. The ecosystem alone makes it easier to experiment and actually apply what you’re learning without too much overhead.

I also get your point about performance trade-offs. It makes sense to focus on understanding fundamentals first, then worry about optimization or switching to something lower-level only when there’s a real need for it.

Overall, keeping things simple at the start and building up from there seems like the right approach. Thanks for the insight.

 

[confidence 001]

Yes Python is still the easiest start for most people because syntax is simple and you can use it for many things fast. If you only care about web or apps then other languages might fit better but Python is still the safest start.

Yeah, that’s a fair take.
Python does make it easier to get started and actually build things quickly without getting stuck on syntax or setup. That early momentum is important, especially when you're still figuring out how everything connects.

I agree that the best language really depends on the direction. For something like web or apps, there are more specialized options, but Python still works well as a foundation before narrowing down.

In the end, getting comfortable with the basics and building consistently probably matters more than the specific language choice early on.
Appreciate your input.

 

[confidence 001]

That’s a solid way to look at it.


Python seems to strike a good balance for getting started, especially with automation and understanding core programming concepts without too much friction.


From there, it makes sense to adjust based on what you actually want to build rather than locking into one language too early. The fundamentals tend to carry over anyway.


Keeping it practical and building along the way is probably the most effective approach.

 

[confidence 001]

start with AI, if things keep going like this, learning python might not do anything to help you in the near future...sad truth

I see where you’re coming from, especially with how fast AI is evolving.
That said, I don’t think learning Python becomes irrelevant because of it. If anything, having some programming fundamentals makes it easier to understand how these tools work and how to use them more effectively.

AI can speed things up, but being able to customize, automate, or troubleshoot still adds a lot of value. Even at a basic level, it gives you more control instead of relying entirely on pre-built solutions.

Probably best to see them as complementary rather than one replacing the other.

 

[confidence 001]

ai still needs to write them in some language, and python would be the easiest to set up (just add it to path with the checkbox in the installer). its also sorta a waste of tokens to have ai change small things that you could do yourself with minimal knowledge of the language, and by working with ai like it or not youll be learning python with ai assitance.

That’s a good point.


Even with AI, having basic knowledge of a language like Python makes a difference. It helps you make small adjustments quickly and understand what the output is actually doing.


Relying fully on AI without that foundation can slow things down in the long run. Using both together seems like the smarter approach.

 

[confidence 001]

You are totally correct, but that is true at this point in time, how about in 5-10 years or more? if you do something ideally think for the future, not just for now. I might be wrong, but that's my view atm.

That’s a fair point, thinking long-term definitely matters.
At the same time, fundamentals usually stay relevant even as tools evolve. Even if things change in 5–10 years, having a basic understanding now makes it easier to adapt to whatever comes next.

Best approach is probably to stay flexible and keep learning as the space evolves.

 

[confidence 001]

if the ai is doing everything in the future then we're going to be heavily restricted as to what you're able to do with it. anytime you ask it to do anything that may slightly bend the tos of any platform or could be considered abusive in any way it wont write it, youd have to find a decent model and run it yourself, which has proven to be slightly difficult to do. (at least, efficiently and on even slightly on the same level as to what you could access from anthropic or openai with their millions in compute) as it incurs large costs at the moment.

only other option you'd have at that point in the future is to pay thousands to run a model good enough at a rate of tokens high enough (so you arent waiting hours and hours for a terrible output on a small model) or attempt to manipulate the ai into doing what you want it to. which will only get more difficult as it gets more advanced. which all goes back to just learning the languages yourself so that you arent limited to what the ai is comfortable generating for you.

You raise a valid point.
There will likely be limits with AI, especially around what it’s allowed to generate and how it’s used. That’s why having some technical knowledge still matters.

Being able to work independently, even at a basic level, gives you more flexibility instead of relying fully on AI outputs.

In the end, it’s probably about using both together rather than depending on one.

 

[Charllote]

ai still needs to write them in some language, and python would be the easiest to set up (just add it to path with the checkbox in the installer). its also sorta a waste of tokens to have ai change small things that you could do yourself with minimal knowledge of the language, and by working with ai like it or not youll be learning python with ai assitance.

Got it here’s a clean, professional, natural sounding reply you can post on your BHW thread:
True, Python is one of the easiest ways to get started, especially for beginners. Once it’s properly set up, it really saves time and makes small tasks much simpler instead of overcomplicating things. At the same time, learning a bit of it along the way really helps you understand what’s going on behind the scenes. Appreciate the insight on this

 

[David 1111]

ai still needs to write them in some language, and python would be the easiest to set up (just add it to path with the checkbox in the installer). its also sorta a waste of tokens to have ai change small things that you could do yourself with minimal knowledge of the language, and by working with ai like it or not youll be learning python with ai assitance.

That's a fair point. Python is definitely one of the easiest languages to get started with, and having a basic understanding helps a lot when working with AI generated scripts. I usually see AI as a tool to speed up development and handle repetitive tasks, while still reviewing and adjusting the code manually when needed. Over time, that process naturally improves your understanding of the language as well.

 

[Sudden Money]

yeah python is still the king for automation. if you are doing any kind of scraping or botting, AI is going to refuse to help you half the time anyway because of safety filters. you need to know enough to patch the code yourself when a site updates their cloudflare or changes selectors. took me maybe a month of actually building stuff to get semi-comfortable. just pick a simple project like a basic local scraper and look at github templates, you'll learn way faster than just watching videos.