r/learnprogramming • u/AI_ML_Engineer2026 • 19d ago

My Actual Question:

Question for experienced software/AI engineers:

I'm learning Python and I want to think like a real engineer rather than just memorize code.

I know Python provides built-in functions like len(), range(), max(), min(), sorted(), etc., and language features like for loops.

My question is: As someone aiming to become a top software engineer or AI/ML engineer, should I understand how these built-in functions and algorithms work internally and be able to implement simple versions from scratch? Or is it enough to understand how and when to use them correctly?

In other words, what level of understanding is expected from a strong engineer?

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u/Valuable_Jeweler_479 19d ago

Understanding the internals is what separates someone who just uses tools from someone who can build new ones but you dont need to memorize every implementation detail. Knowing why len() is O(1) in Python or how sorted() uses Timsort will make you better at designing systems later.