Never Coded in my life about to take the plunge!

ally_uk

So being new to programming and having alot of time on my hands I have decided to dive into the wonderful world of Python. I am a complete novice when it comes to this sort of thing although I have in the past wrote some basic BASH scripts nothing elegant the usual chaining commands together, printing hello world and feeling proud

My main interest is Linux I do alot of tinkering it started as a hobby i'm not one of these bearded gurus but I have done some basic stuff i.e setup servers, played with firewalls and am pretty comfortable using the BASH prompt.

I am currently working my way through: Learn python the hard way

It's going ok I have managed to write a few basic things and done some basic math nothing to elegant or fancy but I have dipped my toes into the murky waters of Python and have enjoyed my learning so far.

I am total noob when it comes to this though the mere mention of loops, arrays, functions and I start sweating

So as a first language is Python a good choice? I was thinking manning up and learning C but looked at a few examples and was like wtf?

Secondly once you have a grasp of the basics of python how can you apply it system administration? i.e writing scripts to do backups, running commands is there a book out there specifically aimed at this kind of thing?

Lastly any newbie coders out there who made the journey I would like to know how you got to where you are give me some inspiration

YFZblu

I learned Python as a coding noob as well - It's definitely a good choice for a beginner. I'm also currently working on C, and it fills a lot of the gaps Python leaves you with; because unlike Python, C does you no favors.

As far as system administration is concerned, I'm sure Python has some nice functionality. But always remember to use the right tool for the job. It would probably be a better idea going forward to learn Bash for *nix administration, and Powershell for Windows administration.

goldenlight

Rumor has it once you learn Python should be able to learn any other language.

CodeAcademy is a good website to get your feet wet. I'm actually learning python now and all I can say is everything so far is making sense.

the_Grinch

Python is a great language to start with! I agree use the right tool for the job, but you can do a lot of amazing things with Python.

N2IT

How are you going to find time while studying for the MCDST?

ally_uk

MCDST lol that went out the window years ago

So once I have completed code academy what would be the next step?

UnixGuy

Definitely good choice! Programming is fun, enjoy it!

jobes23

There is this website called edx. They have "classes" taught by Harvard, MIT, and a few other schools' teaching aids and professors. That's how I learned to code in C and python.