It’s actually a common question most beginners have, “Do I need to learn HTML and CSS before Python?”. However, it’s a tricky question to answer. The language you will want to learn first depends highly on where you want to go with your coding career. Whether you decide to learn HTML and CSS first or try your hand at Python, it really doesn’t matter. There have been beginners that started on both sides and succeeded.
However, it’s very important to know why you should start with one over the other. It might also help you to know that one path will likely be more challenging than the other. Luckily for you, I’ve been programming for a while so I’m going to help you out. You’re welcome!
So, without further ado, here is why you don’t need to learn HTML and CSS before Python.
Why Learn HTML and CSS before Python?
You do not need to learn HTML or CSS before diving into Python. However, there could be some good reasons to do so.
For instance, if you want to become a web developer it makes a lot of sense to start out with HTML and CSS. These two languages, along with JavaScript, form the basis of frontend web development. Understanding HTML and CSS for web developers is a critical aspect of being good at your job.
However, if you have no plans to learn web development and want to work in some other division of computer science, such as data science or game development, you will probably never use HTML and CSS. In which case, learning these two languages would be a much less efficient use of time! You will be better off learning an actual programming language like Python.
That being said, HTML and CSS are a great “baby step” into learning web development. They are significantly easier to learn than a programming language but still challenging enough to keep you engaged.
Once you learn these two languages, you will have a rough understanding of how coding languages work and picking up a language like Python will seem a bit more intuitive.
In fact, when I first started coding 8 years ago, these were the first two languages that I learned! The confidence boost I gained from learning these two languages really helped me teach myself more difficult languages along the way.
So if you’re looking to go into a career in web development, learn HTML and CSS first. Then, instead of Python, you should learn JavaScript. Although you can build a website with just HTML and CSS, you can build much cooler ones with JavaScript.
After that, feel free to transition into Python, it is a similar language to JavaScript and shouldn’t be too tough to learn!
Here are some great HTML and CSS courses to get started.
Why Learn Python Before HTML and CSS
So, just to be absolutely clear, you do not need to learn HTML and CSS before Python. In fact, you may not need to learn Python at all. You should really only be learning Python for the reasons stated below.
Let’s start by stating that Python is a great first language to learn. It is one of the easiest programming languages to get started with and it’s great for coding interviews.
It’s one of the most popular programming languages in the world right now and can be used in many different divisions of programming. Including backend web development. The division of web development that is used for server-side programming, connection databases to websites, and writing business logic.
With all the different applications of Python, it is a great general-purpose programming language. If you know you want to learn how to code but don’t know where to start or what you want to do, start with Python.
Yes, it will be more challenging to learn Python before HTML and CSS but the language is actually quite simple. The primary purpose of the language was to be designed for simplicity. So you can focus more on how to write programs and algorithms instead of getting bogged down by the syntax.
Learning a programming language like Python will also be more beneficial in the long run. Python will teach you core programming concepts that you simply won’t learn from HTML and CSS.
Personal Advice
In fact, I have a general rule that will help you out. Remember this! The harder you push yourself in programming, assuming you solve the problem, the faster you will grow.
Finding a problem challenging is a good thing. Stay stubborn and don’t give up. Eventually, you will solve what you are trying to solve. Whether that be learning a new language, starting your own coding project, or fixing a tough bug.
I know it’s hard, but it’s worth it.
So, to summarize, learn Python first if you still don’t know what division of programming you want to get into. It is also a good choice for developing website backends, task automation, data analysis, and data visualization. So if you want to go into one of those areas of work, it’s a great choice!
Here are some great Python resources.
Should You Learn HTML or Python?
If you are only going to learn either Python or HTML and CSS then the answer is simple. If you want to go into web development, learn HTML and CSS first. You will no doubt need to learn them eventually and it will be an easy stepping stone into more difficult languages like JavaScript or Python.
If you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your programming career yet, learn Python. It is a great, general-purpose programming language that is very popular, easy to learn, and used in many different sectors of computer science.
Wrapping Up
So that’s pretty much it! Hopefully, I covered the answer for whether or not you need to learn HTML and CSS before Python. Feel free to email me or drop a comment below if you have any other questions.
If you are new to web development, check out my completed list of free resources to learn web development.
If you are trying to learn multiple programming languages, check out why that’s a bad idea here.
Happy coding!
