A friend told me to skip Python and go straight to C. Worst advice ever.

Last year, my buddy Mark, who works as a systems engineer, insisted I should learn C first to 'really understand computers.' He said it over beers at The Rusty Nail. I tried it for about three weeks and got completely stuck on pointers and memory allocation. It was so frustrating I almost gave up coding entirely. I switched to a beginner Python course online and built my first little script in a weekend. That small win kept me going. Has anyone else been given 'expert' advice that totally backfired when you were just starting out?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_andrew14h ago

Honestly, that "really understand computers" advice is how you kill a beginner's interest.

avery_fox9313h ago

@the_andrew is right, it's like telling someone to rebuild a car engine before they learn to drive. People love giving hardcore advice that sounds smart but just makes things harder.