Welcome to My Coding Adventure!
Follow along as I learn SQL and Python from scratch.
See My First StepsAbout This Journey
Hi, I’m Deborah! 👋 I’ve decided to dive into the world of programming, focusing on SQL for database management and Python for its versatility in data science, web development, and more. This website is my personal logbook, a place to document my progress, share what I’m learning, the resources I find helpful, and the inevitable challenges I encounter.
My goal is not just to learn these languages but to understand how they can be used to solve real-world problems. I hope by sharing my experiences, I can inspire others who are thinking about starting their own coding journey or provide some camaraderie for those already on their way. Let’s learn and grow together!
My First Steps in SQL and Python
Embarking on a new learning adventure can be daunting, but also incredibly rewarding! Here’s a peek into how I started with the basics.
🚀 Diving into SQL: My Initial Thoughts
SQL (Structured Query Language) felt like learning the secret handshake to talk to databases. At first, all the SELECTs, FROMs, and WHEREs looked like a strange new grammar.
My First “Aha!” Moment: Realizing that SELECT column_name FROM table_name; was like asking a very specific question and getting a direct answer from a huge filing cabinet. Simple, but powerful!
Key Things I Tackled:
- Setting Up: I started with SQLite because it’s file-based and super easy to get going. DB Browser for SQLite became my friendly visual tool.
- Core Commands:
SELECTandFROM: The absolute bread and butter.WHERE: Filtering data – this made it feel like I had real control.ORDER BY: Sorting results, surprisingly satisfying!- Basic
JOINs: Connecting tables felt like a puzzle, but so cool when it clicked.
- Biggest Challenge: Understanding different
JOINtypes (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT). Still a work in progress, but practice helps! - Tip for Beginners: Start with a small, interesting dataset. It makes learning queries much more engaging.
🐍 My Python Beginnings: Hello, World!
Python felt more like learning a spoken language, albeit one for computers! Its readability was a big plus, making it feel less intimidating than I initially expected.
My First “Aha!” Moment: Writing a simple script that actually *did* something, even if it was just printing “Hello, Deborah!” or doing basic math. That little bit of instant feedback was incredibly motivating.
Key Things I Focused On:
- Setting Up: I installed Python directly from python.org and started using VS Code as my editor. The built-in terminal in VS Code made it easy to run scripts.
- Core Concepts:
- Variables: Storing information (numbers, text).
- Data Types: Understanding strings, integers, floats.
print(): My best friend for checking what’s happening.- Basic Operators:
+,-,*,/. - Simple
if/elsestatements: Making decisions in code.
- Biggest Challenge: Remembering syntax details, like colons at the end of
ifstatements or proper indentation. Python is picky about that! - Tip for Beginners: Don’t just read – type out every example yourself. Muscle memory helps a lot. And don’t be afraid to break things; that’s how you learn!
Latest Learnings & Blog Posts
I’ll be sharing more detailed posts here about specific topics, challenges, and resources I discover. Stay tuned!
Join the Conversation!
Have questions, tips, or just want to say hi? I’d love to hear from you.
This journey is better together.