A love-hate letter to Python’s openness.
When I first dipped my toes into coding, I started with Swift. Back then, I thought learning about type safety, strict rules, and all those compiler errors was just Apple trying to make my life harder. “Why can’t the code just run, even if it’s slightly wrong?” I used to wonder. Well, then I met Python—and boy, was I glad Swift came first.
Python: Beautifully Dangerous for Beginners
Don’t get me wrong: Python is amazing. It’s the Swiss Army knife of programming—simple syntax, super flexible, and a dream for fast prototyping. But there’s a dark side to that flexibility: it doesn’t stop you from shooting yourself in the foot.
In Swift, if you accidentally call a function with the wrong type of input, the compiler will throw an error immediately and refuse to run. In Python, though? Python’s just like:
- “Oh, you’re passing a string where I expected an integer? That’s cool—let’s see what happens!”
- And then… BAM! You get an exception buried somewhere in the runtime, halfway through execution, leaving you thinking, “What the heck just happened?”
Swift Taught Me Things I Didn’t Know I’d Need
1️⃣ Type Safety: My New Best Friend
With Swift, every variable has a type, and the compiler checks it upfront. It’s like a strict friend that won’t let you leave the house in mismatched socks. Sure, it’s annoying sometimes, but it saves you from embarrassing runtime errors later.
With Python, though? No strict friend. You’re free to mix data types however you like. It’s like partying without a chaperone—fun at first, but when something goes wrong, you’ve got a huge mess to clean up.
2️⃣ Clearer Errors = Faster Debugging
In Swift, when something breaks, the error messages are usually specific and point you directly to the problem.
- Swift: “Line 42: Type ‘String’ cannot be assigned to ‘Int’.”
- Python: “TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for +: ‘int’ and ‘str’.”
Sure, the Python error message gives you a hint, but it only shows up when you run the code—which means more wasted time hunting bugs that Swift would have caught before even compiling.
3️⃣ Strictness Helps You Build Better Mental Models
Swift taught me the importance of precision. By forcing me to think about data types, optionals, and mutability, it gave me a stronger foundation as a developer. With Python, it’s easy to skip these concepts because you don’t need to declare types explicitly. But trust me—having that discipline makes debugging so much easier later on.
Python Is Powerful, But Beware of Its Freedom
I totally understand why Python’s openness is attractive—especially for people new to programming. You can write a lot of cool things in fewer lines, and you feel productive right away. The problem is, Python’s freedom comes at a cost. For someone without a solid programming foundation, you’re more likely to make subtle mistakes and have a harder time understanding why the code doesn’t behave as expected.
Swift, on the other hand, forces you to learn concepts early—like how data types work, how to handle errors, and why you need to initialize everything properly. Once you have that understanding, Python’s flexibility becomes a tool rather than a trap.
In Conclusion: Swift First, Python Later
Looking back, I feel lucky that Swift was my first love in programming. It gave me the discipline and debugging skillsthat Python doesn’t naturally teach.
So, if you’re a new developer considering Python as your first language, here’s my two cents:
- Start with a stricter language like Swift or Java.
- Let it teach you the importance of structure, typing, and error handling.
- Then, when you pick up Python later, you’ll appreciate its openness without getting lost in it.
In the end, Python is like jazz—once you know the rules, it’s fun to break them. But trust me, it’s better to learn the rules first.
P.S.: Next up, I’ll be writing about how I used Python and Swift together in a side project. Turns out, mixing them is as tricky as it sounds… stay tuned!