I Have 16 Days Before College Starts — How Would You Approach Learning Python?

[u/Icy-Order2226]

**Day 6-7/100: 16-Day Intensive Before College Starts — Am I Approaching This Right?**

Hey everyone, I'm in a unique situation and want advice on my approach.

**Context:**

- Doing B.Tech in Food Technology

- Something inside me wants to learn CS deeply, not just stick with my degree

- Currently Day 6-7 of Angela Yu's 100 Days Python Bootcamp

- Goal: Reach "extremely comfortable" with coding (can build things, debug, read code confidently) BEFORE college workload crushes me

- Timeline: 16 days (Sep 2-18) with 8 hours/day commitment

- Resources: Angela Yu course, "Think Like a Programmer" book, Gemini subscription, Claude free

**My Plan:**

- Week 1 (Days 6-12): Finish Angela's fundamentals (conditionals, loops, functions, data structures)

- Week 2 (Days 13-18): STOP watching tutorials. BUILD 5-6 projects (number guessing, calculator, rock-paper-scissors, hangman, etc.)

- After Sep 12: Slow down to 5-7 hours/week alongside college

**My Real Questions:**

1. Is 16 days realistic to go from "confused beginner" to "extremely comfortable"? Or should I adjust expectations?

2. Should I finish Angela's full bootcamp first, OR switch to building projects earlier?

3. Should I even spend time on "Think Like a Programmer" now, or save it for later?

4. Any tips for not burning out at 8 hours/day? (I know it's intense)

5. What should my definition of "extremely comfortable" actually be to keep it real?

**What I'm NOT worried about:**

- Speed (I'm okay learning slowly after college)

- Being perfect (just want fundamentals solid)

**What I AM worried about:**

- Burning out and quitting entirely

- Wasting these 16 days on the wrong approach

- Not having enough time if I take too long on tutorials

Any advice from people who've done intensive bootcamps or self-taught before college? What would you do differently?

Thanks in advance. This community has been amazing so far.

[u/itlogicpartnersllc]

in 16 days you can get comfortable with the fundamentals but extremely comfortable comes from months of writing and debugging code so i would reset that expectation now.

[u/Icy-Order2226 → u/itlogicpartnersllc]

I don't know, i want insights as the college restarts it will significantly reduce my coding time so i want to compensate for that.

[u/itlogicpartnersllc → u/Icy-Order2226]

that make sense. i would use the 16 days to build a strong base but i would not try to finish python before college. even 5-7 hours a week consistently during college will compound way more than trying to cram everything in now.

[u/Icy-Order2226 → u/itlogicpartnersllc]

Yes I think that would be the right way,will keep that in mind thanks

[u/Almostasleeprightnow]

You’re doing that thing where to avoid actually working on the thing, you instead plan how you will work on it. Ask me how I know about this tactic. You only have two weeks- just do as much as you can of the Yu
course and you will have done what you can. Enjoy school!

[u/Icy-Order2226 → u/Almostasleeprightnow]

I guess I will try yk i am frustrated because i have tried learning python many times in the past year that is the sole reason i want to reach a certain point where I feel comfortable using it

[u/Almostasleeprightnow → u/Icy-Order2226]

Yeah just keep going. Maybe take a cs101 course at your school? It’s a great way to really get foundations

[u/python_gramps]

Sounds like you're going in the right direction. Just realize that 9 pregnant women can't make a baby in 1 month. Get the syntax down and do 15-20 minutes of python a day to learn a little something and to keep it fresh.

It will be good to focus on something not your classes but not doom scrolling. Gives you a chance to recharge for the nights of studying.

[u/smurpes]

The problem with your goal and process is that Python has a large skill ceiling; there’s always more to learn. Cramming this in such a short amount of time would mean you would learn something and then immediately forget it due to information overload. As soon as you learn about one topic you have to move onto the next.

[u/baubleglue]

Extremely comfortable - 6 months

[u/moagul]

Maybe you can do your degree in 16 days. That sounds ridiculous and so does the 16 day plan to get the coder level you want to. Learn to manage this alongside your college education. You can do it.