devnet

This is my experience into learning Python from a network engineer’s perspective. Previously, I started this path with Zero Knowledge of Coding.

Is Learn Python The Hard Way 3 (LPTHW3) the best place to start coding? Sure! One of the worst things you can do is spend endless amounts of time figuring out where to start. I made this mistake. Finally, I just dove into Learn Python The Hard Way 3.

I’m a network engineer in higher education. Diving into the CLI is a regular task for me. And that’s the most difficult part of getting into LPTHW3. I kept looking for context. How could I use functions and lists with network engineering?

But hang in there. Get through the basics. Do about one to two exercises per day. It’s going to be challenging at first but it’s worth it.

We’ve been told to transform as network engineers and get familiar with Python. After attending DevNet Create in April 2018, I felt inspired to build something. So I grabbed a copy of LPTHW3 and got going.

My first try at the book I made it about half way before work projects prevented me from moving at a regular pace.

In August, I picked it up again and started from the beginning. There are 52 exercises in the book. I made it to exercise 48 before I decided to use another learning method that had more relevance to what I do, networking.

Conclusion

It’s a great book to get you started. You’ll learn the basics quickly but the exercises get challenging as you progress into the book. It definitely teaches you the hard way. Supplement your learning with other resources. Perform each exercise as described and don’t be afraid to experiment and break things.

In April 2018, I was able to attend Cisco DevNet Create in Mountain View, CA as a Cisco Champion. The idea of seeing DevOps from the devs themselves had me intrigued. Which means I’m learning about this new term, NetDevOps.

Later on, this event would leave a positive impact on me. I’ll get to that later on.

I have zero knowledge of coding. Well, maybe not quite zero. I could do a simple print(“Hello world”) but that’s it.

In May 2018, I got myself a copy of Learn Python The Hard Way 3 and hit the ground running. Learning how to code is like learning networking from the beginning. It’s challenging at first but with practice you start learning the concepts. I went through it the first time within 30 days not really grasping it very well. So I took a break.

It’s now near the end of August and I took another dive into LPTHW3. Having understood the exercises better this time around, I began to feel like I might be improving and actually learning something.

Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Benjamin Franklin

After seeing what was possible at DevNet Create, I was left inspired. I was able to see what automated tasks you could perform with Python with the Meraki Dashboard API, how you can approve Cisco configs through WebEx Teams using API, among other useful tasks. It left me wanting more. But most of all, I wanted to create something. And here I am learning Python.

This is how I decide to hold myself accountable to learning something completely new. To write out my experience, my challenges, and my solutions. Welcome to the first entry of my coding journal.