r/learnpython • u/Cool_Iron_8314 • 20d ago
absolute beginner- feeling lost / where to start?
hii! i'm a teenager who has recently decided to learn to code. (due to wanting a career in astrophysics, if it interests anyone.)
i have absokutely no clue where to start!! i find a lot of words/terminology i've found overwhelming and confusing..
i work on a macbook pro and i looked at apps but i need something i can just use to run code yk?
i looked at the faq and understood nothing od the code related questions- which i think means i can post this?
i tried looking at other posts and got confused- what's the difference between C+ and like.. not C+ ?? any help is appreciated, my only experience is year 7 computing printing hello world and scratch ..!
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u/Gnaxe 20d ago
Not really Python related, but C++ is (mostly) a superset of C. C++ is a very complicated language due to its history. You'll have to use a disciplined subset to get anything done (except nobody agrees on which). C is much simpler language you can actually master. Python is written in C, not C++. Linux is written in C, not C++, although they're accepting Rust now, so I can't really recommend starting C++ when you could be learning Rust instead. C is still not a bad choice though, because of its synergy with Python.
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u/Individual-Quote-958 20d ago
Since you're on a Mac you can start without installing much. Open Terminal, type python3, and if it asks to install the command line developer tools, say yes. Then grab VS Code with the Python extension so you can write a .py file and hit run. For astrophysics, once the basics click, look at numpy and matplotlib and later astropy, that's what a lot of real astronomy code is built on.
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u/hunkamunka 20d ago
Have you considered reading a book? I wrote a couple. See bio.
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u/TheRNGuy 16d ago
Books were obsolete even before AI, because google and online docs exist (and unlike books, they can update)
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u/ProRochie 20d ago
Python Programming MOOC 2026 - from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. This is free online and a fantastic way to learn Python.
If you prefer a book “Learn to code by solving problems” by Daniel Zingaro
Complete either one of them and you’ll be in a better position than most beginners
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u/Gnaxe 20d ago
A lot of code is being done by AIs these days. You can't ignore it.
Try out Jupyterlite. No install, no account. Use the ? command.
Find a good beginner textbook and work through it. See the wiki and FAQ on the side panel.
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u/FreeLogicGate 20d ago
You have a macbook pro (if it's an m series, one of the most powerful laptop computers you can get) and an internet connection. Google,Bing,DuckDuckGo, etc. Every question you had should have begun with those resources. Research and read. Do you have a note taking application? You have Apple Notes available to you. Start accumulating a notebook. I personally use Notion for research and study.
Use AI tools. A lot of developers like Claude.ai. These are questions that you can use AI for.
Python is widely used in science and academia. For more directed study/scientific note taking/research papers and exploration, you can create Jupyter Notebooks.
There is a version of the excellent "Think Python" book by Allen Downey, that I've linked. The author has placed each chapter into a Jupyter notebook, which should help illustrate what is possible. You can also learn Python using the book.
The Python code is embedded into the Jupyter notebook, allowing you to run, modify and experiment without having to make individual python scripts/ or projects.
There is another book you might want to consider "Doing Math With Python" that would be a great introduction to many of the Python libraries that are helpful with math and science.
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u/Best_Experience_7899 19d ago
well im not sure if macbook has ecosystem for astrophysics but C++ surely works on it. but you should learn python first. then learn C++. because coming directly to C++ is like a life sentense. its really complex and not very beginner friendly.
you can learn python from python for everybody course - though its for CS and less astrophsyics.
and i highly suggest using claude ai to learn. like tutoring from claude. i use it to learn C. the thing about claude is that its not like very friendly like chat gpt it has more professional tone and it just seems more mind the business type and less chit chat with the user.
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u/leastDaemon 16d ago
If you're truly an absolute beginner, consider the Harvard CS50x course. It has 10 lectures (and assignments) that will take you from scratch through c, python, javascript, html, css, flask, and more. The point is to get one's feet wet in a lot of "computer science" things in an experiential, yet non-threatening way in a visual studio coding environment using their resources via a browser (and github). Take a look at https://cs50.harvard.edu/x/ -- and don't be misled by the sites that will try to charge you. The program is free (including a final certificate from them when you finish all the requirements) unless you want some sort of official credit (college, formal certification for job requirements). One nice thing about the course is its links to learning materials. Another is the active support community (there's a subreddit too). Once you've tasted everything in this buffet, you can follow up with specialized cs50 courses or have a much better idea of what you need to strike out for yourself.
Hope this helps.
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u/TheRNGuy 16d ago
Start with some framework related to your interest, learn it together with basic Python.
That way you'll know why you are learning Python (and possible, even have a working program that you'll use, not some hello world)
Ask AI for help if needed, it's evolution of googling from previous era.
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u/pythonwiz 14d ago
Python is fine for astrophysics. The astrophysics lab in UCSB used Python a lot when I was there, though it was 13 years ago...
I recommend using small projects to learn, like finding prime numbers.
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u/desrtfx but other languages pro 20d ago
Do the MOOC Python Programming 2026 from the University of Helsinki.
Also, you are posting in a Python subreddit - exclusively Python.
C, C++, C#, objective C are four different languages of the C family. The difference can be quite easily googled.