My friend told me to learn JavaScript before Python and I'm not sure it was good advice

When I started coding six months ago, my buddy who works as a web dev said to go with JavaScript first because it's 'everywhere'. I spent three months on it and got really stuck on concepts like async functions and the DOM. Last month I switched to Python for a small project and found the syntax way easier to follow for a beginner. Now I'm wondering if starting with a simpler language would have been better, even if JavaScript is more common for web stuff. Has anyone else been given advice to start with a harder language and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

christopher_wells42mo ago

Definitely think it applies to a lot of stuff in life, not just coding. Like when I tried to learn guitar, my buddy was like "start with barre chords" because they're "real guitar," and I just got frustrated and quit for months. Ended up learning easier open chords later and it all clicked way faster, and eventually I did learn barre chords naturally. It's really about building confidence first so you don't just give up completely, and Python does that way better for most people.

avery_lopez3mo ago

Starting with Python is fine, just switch back to JavaScript later for web projects.

umathompson3mo ago

Honestly, what if getting stuck on the hard parts first makes everything else feel easier later?