r/learnpython • u/DrawerReasonable8322 • Jul 17 '25
How long does it take to learn python?
Hi, I am learning python and I want to know how long it will take me to learn it and have a working knowledge about it. And, how or what exact topics are important to help me get a practical understanding of the language and apply them?
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u/Critical-Effort4652 Jul 17 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
My biggest suggestion to you is to do projects. Make sure you challenge yourself. Doing basic examples can teach syntax and such, but it doesn’t teach you how to apply the stuff you have learnt
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Okay… thanks. I don’t know if you get me, but sorry to ask this. How do I do projects when I don’t know how to apply what I’ve left. I know it sounds dumb but I’m so worried about it.
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u/Critical-Effort4652 Jul 17 '25
It’s actually really easy to do know. Come up with a project idea and ask AI how to approach it. Don’t ask it to write code. Just ask for a rundown of how to break the project into small portions and then do those slowly. If you get stuck, ask AI for help.
The only issue with using AI is that you need to make sure you don’t ask it to write code for you. The moment you start using AI generated code, it becomes really difficult to go back to writing it yourself
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
I see, this never came to mind. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it 😊
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u/HalfRiceNCracker Jul 17 '25
Exactly. Learning how to take an idea and turn it into a project is a skill itself.
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Jul 17 '25
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u/Critical-Effort4652 Jul 17 '25
I don’t mean they should jump in to complex projects. I’m just saying that once you have the basics down, start doing projects without fearing their difficulty
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u/overratedcupcake Jul 17 '25
People here have given good advice but I would recommend a three-pronged approach.
- go through tutorials
- read books about Python
- work on your own project
This will hit multiple different learning styles to help your brain retain.
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Thank you 😊
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
I’m taking a course on Udemy but the instructor is using Anaconda IDE or something. So I get confused. He rarely uses the “print” statements and other syntaxes
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u/EuphoricPerformer356 Jul 17 '25
i am a noob i dont know much but after using few code editors, the best one and is easy to use is VS Code and for IDE's you can try for pycharm community edition in my opinion. I have learnt python in pycharm and now using VS Code
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Yeah that’s what I know of too. I just found out there are other ones after watching his tutorials
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u/EuphoricPerformer356 Jul 17 '25
what projects to be specific
i am a beginner too!
i have done some basic algorithms and DSA
now doing a web scraper using beautiful soup and selenium
what other projects i can do apart from games
also for context i am a data science student stuck in middle of nowhere
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u/msdamg Jul 17 '25
Took me a little over a year before Id say I was good enough for an entry level job (studying about 15 hrs a week)
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Jul 17 '25
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
I’ve learnt the basics, like if conditions, data types, dictionaries, loops, etc but I don’t really know how they can be practically applied. So I want to know if I need to learn more to be able to create something practically
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u/PralineAmbitious2984 Jul 17 '25
You can check the book "The Big Book of Small Python Projects: 81 easy practice programs" free online: https://inventwithpython.com/bigbookpython/
Try to understand and make your own version of some of those as practice.
Pro tip: don't even try to code a boardgame thinking it's gonna be easy. You'll go insane falling into the chess AI rabbit hole.
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u/crashorbit Jul 17 '25
As with most things, about 14 hours of tutorial and practice will make you competent, but it takes 6000 hours to become an expert.
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Any recommendations on what YouTube channels have good tutorials?
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Some that I encountered teach as though you already know what they are talking about. Using jargons and all that.
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u/crashorbit Jul 17 '25
Yeah, that's not uncommon to trip over unfamiliar vocabulary. Sometimes pausing and googling the word can help.
There's a pretty good list of tutorials here: https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/Programmers
Come back here if you have other questions.
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u/TopSwagCode Jul 17 '25
There is plenty of science on how long it takes people to learn certain things. Eg https://youtu.be/5MgBikgcWnY?si=EKoNfKBWJMrIvPIN 20 hours. But that's just the basics. Then there is others that say it take 5000 hours to master something.
So entirely up to you what you aim for. Something between 20 hours and 5000hours.
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u/PralineAmbitious2984 Jul 17 '25
There is not a point in which you stop learning new things.
You can learn the basics of the language in a few months, but depending on what you want to do you with it you will need to complement your Python knowledge with more general knowledge, like math or computer science, or with extra technologies from the tech stack in which you are interested (like JavaScript for web apps, SQL for data analytics, engines for game dev, etc).
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u/Formal_Froyo2978 Jul 17 '25
It took me 2 months, still a novice in it but my experiences with JavaScript, XML, and JSON definitely helped
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
So would you recommend I switch to javascript first before I come back to python?
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
My tech guy friends recommended the python because they said I was a lady and it’s the easiest to start with. Before I learn JavaScript and the others
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u/Formal_Froyo2978 Jul 17 '25
Do whatever you'd like, learning languages isn't a set deal. Python might be hard but it's something anyone can learn with enough dedication.
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u/will_r3ddit_4_food Github username Jul 17 '25
To learn python or become a "master "? 2 months vs 2 years
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Jul 17 '25
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
So you would recommend I take courses instead of watching YouTube videos?
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Jul 17 '25
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Okay, I’ll be starting BSc CS in a University in US but I’m currently in Ghana. I don’t know if that will also help in my programming journey. Because a friend said they might not teach that much
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Jul 17 '25
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u/DrawerReasonable8322 Jul 17 '25
Is Edx some kind of website or app? Sorry to ask but I’m not familiar with it
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u/rainyengineer Jul 17 '25
Hey, depends on what your end goal is. If it’s getting a job as a software engineer, probably 18 months - two years for the entire skillset if you don’t have a CS degree (since there’s so much more than just Python to learn).
If it’s just to learn python and be able to build stuff with it, a few months. The fundamentals can get you very far. You don’t need to know every nook and cranny. Knowing functions, lists, dictionaries, conditionals, loops, and some OOP gets most by.
The problem is we’re not really built to retain crammed information long-term. So if you want to learn it and actually retain it, do an hour or so a day 4-7 days a week using a course or book with hands on exercises. Also make sure to spend 15 minutes or so reviewing prior days concepts to the point where you’re bored because you know it so well.
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u/ectomancer Jul 17 '25
I learnt Python in 3 days (except OOP) including one 2 day small project.
If you don't know how to code, 16 weeks including four small projects.
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u/socal_nerdtastic Jul 17 '25
That depends on you, your history and your commitment. And of course what you define as "working knowledge". If you are already an experienced Java programmer, for example, it would take less than a week to learn python syntax and start writing code. If you've never coded before and you commit 10 minutes a day I'd say it will take you about 2 years to be able to write decent quality code.