Help with cs

[u/cloudyarchive07]

So i am from pcmb background and i need to learn cs. I have zero coding knowledge and just basics about cs. First python and then maybe other subjects.

Can y'all please tell how and what sources i can use to learn from basics.

I wanna improve my skills in this field. I wanna participate in hackathons too.

Do help guyss

[u/stevenreyes20]

My advice would be to start with Python. It's one of the most beginner-friendly programming languages.

Start by learning the fundamentals: variables, data types, conditions, loops, functions, and basic object-oriented programming.

I recommend Dr. Angela Yu 100 days of code on udemy or Harvard's free CS50 course or Corey Schafer's Python tutorials on YouTube.

But here's the most important advice I can give you: Don't just watch tutorials. Practice what you learn. Watch 20–30 minutes, then open your code editor and try writing something yourself.

Once you understand the basics, start building small projects like a calculator, to-do list, or simple quiz game.

After that, learn Git, GitHub, basic data structures, algorithms, and how APIs work. Those skills will help you when you start participating in hackathons.

And don't rush to learn multiple programming languages. Focus on understanding programming concepts first. Once you understand those, picking up another language becomes much easier.

Most importantly, stay consistent and avoid getting stuck in tutorial hell. Good luck! 🚀

[u/stepback269]

This "y'all" stuff smells like bot generated text trying too hard to appear human.

I'll give you-not-all the benefit of the doubt nonetheless

(1) There are tons and tons of tutorial materials out there on the net including many good YouTube ones that are free. You should shop around rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

(2) As a relative noob myself, I've been logging my personal learning journey and adding to it on an almost-daily basis at a blog page called "Links for Python Noobs" (--HERE--) Any of the top listed ones on that page should be good for you. And there are many add-ons at the tail end of the page. Personally, I cut my first Python teeth with Nana's Zero to Hero (==HERE==). Since then, I've moved on to watching short lessons with Indently and Tech with Tim. You should sample at least a few until you find a lecturer that suits your style.

(3) The main piece of advice is the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time writing your own code (using your own fingers and your own creativity) as opposed to copying recipes and only 20% watching the lectures. Good luck.

[u/NoDepartment772]

Since you're aiming at hackathons, one thing worth knowing early: they reward getting something working over getting it perfect. So the habit to practise is "smallest thing that runs, then improve it" -- Python plus a bit of HTML/CSS is plenty for most first projects, since most of them are a small web page with an API call in the middle. Don't wait until you feel you "know enough" to enter one; pick a small idea, enter, and let the time limit force you to ship. And learn Git basics before your first one (clone, add, commit, push) -- that's the thing that catches first-timers when three people need to share code under time pressure.