Losing My Python Virginity (Again)
Everyone remembers their first time. You remember yours, right?
It’s a magical moment.
You say “goodbye” to being a kid and “hello” to adulthood. And for most of us, it ends the same way – with “Hello World!” popping up on our screens.
It doesn’t matter what language you use (C++, Python, Javascript, maybe even Ruby). Your first time writing code makes you feel powerful. As if you’re able to do anything.
And I’m luckier than most people. Why? Because I’ve had two firsts.
I lost my Python virginity twice.
And that’s what this post is all about. You’ll discover:
- What happened the first time I lost my Python virginity
- Why I’m passionate about coding again
- Why learning to code is different now
- Why all of this matters to you
So let’s get started…
What happened the first time I lost my Python virginity
Back in college, I took an Intro to Computer Science class (CS 110) for one reason and one reason only – to combine my math major with a CS minor.
Long story short, Binghamton University made it impossible for me to take the required minor classes without being a CS major first. It was your typical Catch-22 situation.
So I never pursued the minor.
And even though I tried self-studying code, I gave up quickly.
For the last three years, I have lived life as if Python, programming, and terminals never existed.
But I’m back now and more passionate than ever.
Why I’m passionate about coding again
If this is your first rodeo browsing around this Dorky Data site, here’s a quick TL;DR about me:
- I studied math in college
- I wrote a book
- I spent two years after college doing ZERO math
My life revolved around marketing and writing for those two years. Math seemed trivial and arbitrary to me (written like a true math major here… iykyk).
But life changes.
And passions are just like your old high school crushes… They come and go. My experience with math is no different.
I’ve fallen in love with it again and know that this time around, it’s here to stay. So, what does this have to do with coding?
Well, frankly, I’m not 100% sure what I want to do in the future to make money. Maybe I’ll find a good career. Maybe I’ll start a business. Maybe I’ll become a con artist. Who knows?
But there’s one thing I do know about the future – no matter what I do, it’s gonna involve math. A lot of it too. I want to do something that applies advanced mathematical models to the real world. So far I’m leaning towards stuff like:
- Data Science
- Cryptography
- Quantitative Trading
- Financial Engineering
And guess what they have in common other than math…
Coding.
Nowadays, all applied math fields involve coding too. They go hand-in-hand. They’re soulmates. Yin and yang.
So that’s why I’m passionate about learning to code again. It’ll open more doors for me in the future to do what I love with math.
And this time around is different than three years ago…
Why learning to code is different now
The only reason I wanted to learn to code back in college was because I assumed having a few programming skills on my resume would help me get a good job. All I cared about was using coding to get a job.
I only cared about what was on the outside. Not the inside. Sometimes, personality does matter, and I didn’t look at coding for its personality.
But here’s what coding means to me now…
It’s an opportunity for me to do something cool with my passions.
Do you see the difference? I’m so grown up now.
I’m not only thinking about the money coding could bring. I’m thinking about the happiness and satisfaction it will give me. That’s why this time around is different.
I’m not gonna quit after two weeks because I have a strong, motivational base to keep me sturdy.
What losing my Python virginity for the 2nd time looks like
The first time I lost my Python virginity, it looked like everyone else’s first time.
A young, shy Mike sat in the back of his computer science class, so naive that he expected himself to write some world-changing algorithm right away. He opened up Atom, like his Professor said, then typed in the following mumble-jumble of words and symbols:
print("Hello World!")
So, yeah…
Nothing exciting.
That’s why I made sure losing my Python virginity for the second time would be more exciting than going to Gatsby’s party. And I knew I could write something a bit more complex than “Hello World!” since my Python foundations were still hidden in my head after three years.
So here’s what I did…
I called up my good ole pal ChatGPT and figured out how to use the os and shutil libraries to write a script that moves images from one directory to another.
I won’t lie, ChatGPT did most of the work.
Only about 35% of the code is mine. But I don’t care. What mattered most wasn’t writing a perfect script on my own. What mattered was that I understood everything.
There wasn’t a single line of code that scared me.
Plus, guess what else has happened since losing my Python virginity again. I went down a damn Python rabbit hole. I’ve spent way too many hours over the last week staring at my laptop, writing code. Check out my GitHub page if you don’t believe me.
A few highlights include:
- Writing a script that tells you whether you can drive or not based on your weight and the number of alcoholic drinks you’ve had in a night
- Writing a script that takes an integer input (n) and creates a times table for values 1 to n.
- Creating a mini-algorithm that encrypts messages into a secret code and an inverse mini-algorithm to decode messages
So yeah, I’ve been busy.
And I’m gonna stay busy too.
Why all of this matters to you
If you’re not a coder or never plan on learning it, get outta here. I don’t want you reading this. Hold onto your python virginity, you psycho.
But if that’s not you, then why does this matter?
Honestly, it might not matter to you.
Even though I’m no coding wizard yet, I know a thing or two about learning. And learning a new skill is easier (and more fun) when you collaborate with like-minded individuals. So if you’re reading this and you’re still learning to code, reach out to me here.
Let’s connect and figure out a way to help each other out.
Do it or don’t.
Either way, I don’t care. No matter what, I’ll still be coding and writing. So, yeah, that’s it.