Finally, I have completed the 100 days of python challenge. It was a hundred days of watching lectures, completing quizzes, and handing in assignments. It was also hundred days of retreading the same old concepts. Variables, loops, if statements, functions, regex, etc. All the same concepts I have learnt and struggled with before. I guess the fault lies with me as I was the one who decided to start over.
Considering how long it has been since I spent time on learning python, I thought it would be good idea. But drudgingly repeating the same old topics only bored me. The hundred days were not a waste as it helped me realize the reason why I remain stuck in this beginner phase.
A phase of constantly doing online courses and reading books. I have simply followed the instructions given to me and completed the assignments but I have never applied them in my own way. I have never started a project of my own which would explain why I can’t keep these concepts in my head for long. I have read about how if one wants to really learn something, they must move from theory to practical learning. Similar to learning a foreign language in a classroom and then travelling abroad to take in the culture of that language that you wouldn’t get in a classroom.
One must immerse themselves in the concept to fully learn it. This is the same for programming. In order to really learn Python, I must move on from lectures and quizzes and start my own projects. Whether it be a simple calculator, a web scraping bot, or some complex algorithm, I must venture out on my own and stop seeking the safety of a teacher or a book.
The safety of where the answer is easily available, there is no real challenge, or the threat of failure. Not completely on my own of course since I am still a beginner. I will seek help when I am stuck on a problem but only when I absolutely need help and never to simply copy the solution. I do want this to be my own project, not one mangled together from help forums. This challenge might not have helped me learn new Python skills but it has helped me know what direction to take to further my skills. Constantly taking online courses is not going make me improve since days later I already forget most of the information.
So as the 100 days come to a close, the start of me taking up a python project to call my own begins. In a week, I will decide what project to undertake: a simple one as to discourage myself if it gets too hard. Once I do that, I will start a GitHub project, create a project page, and make a blog post to make it official. It will most likely be a web-scrapping bot as a lot of my projects require something like that or they will take up too much time to complete.
While the 100 days may have not gone as I had planned, it still was a learning experience. I hope my project will be a better one.
Thanks for reading,
MalNich