Debate: Should beginners learn Python or JavaScript first? I used to think Python all the way until a senior dev told me otherwise.

For the first 6 months of learning code, I was all in on Python. I thought it was the easiest to read and get stuff done. Then a senior dev at a meetup in Denver told me JavaScript is better for beginners because you can see your results in a browser right away and it forces you to understand how the web works. Now I'm stuck between two camps: learn the simple syntax first with Python or learn what actually powers websites with JS. Has anyone else gotten feedback that totally flipped how they tell new folks to start?

3 comments

3 Comments

ward.jamie1mo ago

Oh great, another thing to overthink. Pretty soon you'll have to decide if learning Scratch first is better because at least you can drag blocks around while crying. Here's the thing - that senior dev isn't wrong but also isn't right. JavaScript lets you pop open Chrome and see a button turn purple in real time which feels like magic. Python makes you stare at a terminal reading "Hello World" and wondering if this is really worth the WiFi bill. I started with Python and felt like a genius until I tried to make a website and realized I'd been hiding from CSS and DOM manipulation like they were my ex. Meanwhile my buddy learned JS first and couldn't write a simple loop without nesting seventeen callbacks. Honestly just flip a coin or better yet learn whichever language has the better memes on Reddit that day.

morgan_king361mo ago

I started with Python and it took me forever to build anything I could actually show someone.

price.ray1mo ago

Honestly the language matters less than just building something broken and showing it.