"def,drop,obs,abs-The Words That Broke Me First"

I began my journey into the world of coding by diving straight into Python on Kaggle, without any prior experience. My family, friends, and acquaintances came from various backgrounds such as commerce, arts, biology, and mathematics, none of whom could guide me through the language. As I opened my first notebook, I was met with an overwhelming void – no mentor, no course, and no one to validate my progress. I was left staring at a screen, bewildered and unsure of what to do.

I started by learning the basics – functions, loops, lists, and conditionals. Reading the tutorials, I would nod along confidently, believing I understood the concepts. But when it came time to apply what I'd learned in the exercise notebooks, my mind went completely blank. It felt as if the information had never been absorbed. After days of struggling, I realized that the problem wasn't just one of logic or understanding – it was the language itself.

Two key words, "def" and "feature," stumped me and left me feeling utterly lost. After hours of searching online, I eventually understood their meanings, but the experience had left a lasting impact.

The next hurdle was learning shortcuts like "drop" and "obs," which were actually abbreviations for more complex concepts. "Drop," for instance, meant removing a feature from the dataset, while "obs" stood for observations and "abs" for absolute values. These short forms seemed alien and confusing, adding another layer of complexity to an already daunting task. Despite my frustration, I pressed on, determined to learn and grow.

However, the real challenge began when I encountered error messages that left me feeling personally attacked by my own laptop. Each error felt like a roadblock, preventing me from moving forward. As I stared at the red text, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Coding, once a promising path, had suddenly become a struggle that threatened to derail my entire journey.

But I refused to give up. Writing this account is not to claim that I have figured everything out – far from it. Instead, I write to acknowledge that I am still confused most days, even as I inch closer to mastery. The journey is far from over, but with each small victory, I am slowly building the confidence to tackle the next challenge. And who knows? Perhaps one day, I'll look back on these early struggles with the same perspective that allowed me to persevere through them.