[Tutor] I need some guidance

[Alan Gauld]

> Hi to everyone first, this is my first posting and I hope that I
won't make
> a mess.

Hello and welcome.

> I have started by reading the excellent "Non-ProgrammersTutorial For
Python"
> by Josh Cogliati. I like it a lot.

It's a fine intro to Python and programming.

> My first question is do i need to really understand everything first
time I
> come across or does it get easier if you kind of move along and get
back to
> it later?

No, understanding often comes with use. Just follow the template in
the
examples and make changes. Watch the effect of the changes and see how
it works. It will usually drop into place. If you have specifoc
questions
send an email to this list.

> field of programming is there a specific technique to learn other
than just
> read everything I put my hand on?

Read a lot and experiment a lot. Thats where Pythons >>> prompt really
helps.
You can build quite sophisticated programs very quickly just by typing
at
the >>> prompt. The only snag being that you can't then save them!

> Third question: Does anybody know if it is possible to get involved
in this
> field in a non-lucrative kind of way in order to learn faster and of
course
> to apply this science in a real world.

With a little bit of skill you can join one of the open source
projects
on source forge. Maybe writing documentation initially and later
fixing
bugs and finally adding features. Find a project you find interesting,
download the application and get familiar with using it, then sign up
to join the project... most are desparate for volunteers!

> I apologise for my English as it is not my first language and thank
in
> advance anybody that will help me with my queries.

Good enough to fool me. I'd never have guessed if you hadn't told us.

Alan G.