What Should I Do to Change the World?

[Propfam 2,288]

Hello,

Sorry for disturbing your activities but this is important post. Although I'm a 8-grader (next semester I will be 9-grader), I want to change the community, change my country and even the world to be more positive. I want the world to be developed, clean and fair. I want the health of the world population is good. I want mass transits to be accessible by many people. Yes, those might sound crazy and I think like that too. But, regardless of craziness, I still want to change the world because the result of it is way better than the craziness. So, what should I do to change the world? Be a YouTuber like this: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmpgcbIruOQ2LDiB6gMuSeA? Or, should I be a designer? Or, should I be a coder because the coding can create things like blockchain, machine learning etc? Should I be a 3D artist and modeler? Or, should I be a modder? I've tried those (except YouTube) but still no result. The problem is I can't focus on those because I worrying about the usefulness of mastering those skills. If I'm a YouTuber, I can't help people, for instance, in parts of the world for clean water directly. If I'm a designer, I can't code, which is essential for 21st century economy. If I'm a coder, I can't design because I want to be a next Steve Jobs (or more specifically, John Ive) of design. If I want to be 3D artist and modeler, my laptop can't render scenes in short amount of time with Blender Cycles without a render farm and the render farm I choose is free so I must contribute back in order to regain access to the service. If I learn both, I can't imagine how the time should be: it might be chaos, again due to my limitations. If I'm a modder, it's nothing with the world in general, only the game community I contribute (but, modding isn't bad, though, but I consider the modding as a hobby). If I pick the fields myself, I can't measure the usefulness because I'm not competent with those. So, I need your help: can you advice me with those fields? I want competent people with those fields or competent people in other fields.

Please don't bully me because it's breaks the site rules and disturbing. Sorry for my bad English because English isn't my native language. Thanks.

[mattb325 28,880]

I suspect we will be at cross-talk here, because the things you have listed are the world of 'trinkets' or the world of 'commodities' or the world of 'privilege' and to excel in any endeavor within that milieu will not necessarily change the world.

At your young age, sadly, world influencers are the victims of unspeakable horror that should never befall anyone, let alone a child and, by speaking their truth, have had a rare opportunity to reach others. 

Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai or here: https://twitter.com/muhammadnajem20 (be warned that the latter is at times truly confronting). These are but two examples of shining hope in a cruel, disgraceful world where your fate is determined only by where you were born. How many millions of others have suffered with no voice?

So if you want to change the world you live by your truth. If your truth is grounded in compassion and fairness then you will always find ways to influence those around you for the better.

If, however, you want to influence the world of 'trinkets' or 'commodities' then stay in school, study hard and don't allow yourself to be too distracted by video games.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

I'll add on to the discussion by adding something that's short and sweet.

Don't be too clouded by the end goal; life's a journey, not a destination. I say this being someone who's always overly concerned about my own future and existence.

Don't be afraid of failure; there's no one single path to success. See above sentiment.

RELAX. Life's not a competition to see who's best at whatever.

Stray away from those who keep you down, and if they do want to drag you down, don't listen; you're your own worst enemy and your biggest critiques will be from yourself. I say this having failed at writing so many times and was concerned that no one in the world would ever understand what I say, even after so many people said that I was already good. Of course, there's art and a whole slew of abandoned talents that I've left behind over the years that I'm just starting to resurrect.

Whatever it is you're interested in, stick with it because you find it cool, not because you wanna impress someone. SC4 was the biggest influencer on my studies thus far, and I can go as far as to say that the experiences from getting involved predate every formal course on computer science; for example:

• I wrote a program in Visual Basic that would take in condensed RUL1 code and spit out a proper RUL1 code statement, not knowing it was a few steps away from being a full-fledged compiler.
• I've drawn diagrams on how every network in SC4 should interact with each other, not knowing that those are called "state diagrams".
• Github before I ever had a class that involved Github.
• Trying to count the number of possible RHW-RHW overpasses is something combinatorics covers.
• Minecraft was the other influence, and that's how I knew about logic gates before I ever had a proper lesson on logic gates and digital logic.

And finally, there's a place for your hobbies. Video games, for example, are the biggest reason why computer technology has advanced so much over the past decade or so; you can ask my professors about it, too. Every person is different, but if you start out with gaming, you could end up in computer architecture or game dev or software engineering. That said, saying you're good at video games ain't something you want on a résumé, but developing or modding a video game could be.

[etg-nc2nyc 53]

Dear @chfzdn,

I have no real answers for you, but want to send you many well wishes, encouragement, and care. The world can be a terrifying, ugly, and hard place. It can also be filled with astonishing beauty and hope. My opinion is that at your age, you do not HAVE to know what you are going to do for the rest of your life, but perhaps that is different in your corner of the world or in how the educational system is set up in your city / country. I will say that it is never wrong or bad to learn something, even if you wind up learning something else later and doing that instead. Anything that educates you will open your mind up to more knowledge. The best advice I ever got was to read as much fiction as I could, especially about people who are nothing like me, and to read biographies.... That reading would open up my life to ideas that never occurred to me. I was also advised to travel as much as I could afford in order to learn about the world and all of the amazing people in it. 

If you maintain your efforts for fairness, kindness, and goodness, I know you will find a way to turn any job or skill into a way to make the world better.

One other thought I have to share is a story about making the world better. It is not a perfect story, but it illustrates how we can affect the world around us, even if it's just a little at a time:

Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions. 

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?” 

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

[Jasoncw 11,840]

If you'd like to be a positive force in the world you don't have to be famous or powerful. First, make positive changes to yourself, because you are the beginning of everything. But to be a positive force in the world, you only need to be a positive force in your own life.

Be a good son. Be understanding of your parents, try to help around the house a little. If you have siblings, be a good brother. For example, if you have a little brother, spend time with him, take him places, teach him things. Make friends at school and be a good friend to them. Hang out with them, but also be kind to them and support and help them when they need it. Be good to your classmates. If someone is having trouble learning something in class, offer to help them. If a classmate is alone be friendly to them. These are things that make a big difference in people's lives, and you don't need to be a billionaire, or a youtube celebrity, to do those things. You can also do things like pick up garbage from the street

You can also volunteer in your neighborhood. There are probably charity groups where you live that could use help. And remember that charity groups usually do not need managers, or consultants, or ideas, or things like that, what they really need are people who are willing to do work (so remember that if you go to them, your job is not to tell them what to do (they know more about what they do than you do), your job is to humbly do work for them). You might be too young to be able to do the type of work that they need done, but you might not be. Maybe there's a project that needs to be done at your school that you could help with.

You linked to a youtuber, and his most recent video is "Good habits, help stop drugs today!". This is a good message, and it was good of him to make the video. But people do drugs because they feel sad, alone, and hopeless. Some kid on youtube saying "drugs are bad!" is not going to change that. But having a thoughtful, loving friend could. Don't worry about being a celebrity, or a billionaire, just be good to the people around you.

[Cyclone Boom 16,875]

Whether big or small, whether taking a long time or a short time, for anything to be changed it involves a process.

The trickiest part can be realising which path to take starting out, and where to take that first step. There are many options, and it isn't clear what will be best in the long run until pursuing them far enough. To change the world is a very noble aspiration. I believe each and every person on this planet is uniquely special in their own way. We all have talents which can be used to make a positive difference. Not only for ourselves, but in the lives of others.

The dilemma you're pondering over is a very common problem. Without the benefit of hindsight, it's difficult to know where to go initially. So with endless possibilities left right and centre, it may help to focus on your main passion. What do you enjoy doing that doesn't seem a chore or a bore? Whether a creative form of art, or a technical speciality. Even the great pioneers in their fields weren't masters at everything. For all we know, Einstein wasn't much of a painter. Though on the other hand, Picasso wasn't much of a physicist. While everyone can have wide-ranging interests, we each have our own strengths. Play to those strengths. At a young age, what can be a hobby now has such a long time to develop into a career at a later stage in life. Don't worry about that yet. These years are all about laying foundations and the support structure for what's to come.

To make change happen, it also involves adapting to change. Not everything always goes according to plan, and that's life. Getting from A to B may sound mighty simple on paper. But even a direct route can take many unexpected twists and turns. Therefore it helps to expect the unexpected at every step of the journey. Building knowledge, learning from each challenge, and using them as lifelines to help you along in future. That doesn't mean one should fear the unknown, but aim to make the best of each situation.

Here at Simtropolis is a great place to shape your interests and gain experiences. I know for me personally I'd be struggling without this site as a refuge. There have been members of the site who have used ST as a stepping stone for inspiration. With freedom of choice, there's surely nothing better than doing what you enjoy on a daily basis, with the prospect to help others. But first of all, gain confidence starting out with small steps. Maybe strive to explore SC4, and continue posting in specific areas which interest you. There's no rush so be patient and take it slowly. Pick and choose. Then once the process unfolds, you may find new opportunities presenting themselves.

Since after all as the old adage says, Rome wasn't built in a day. The same also goes for changing the world. Start small and build upwards.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

When I was in 8th or 9th grade, I had no idea I would want to live where I am now, I had no intentions of having children (I have 3) and I had no hope of ever even going on a date (I'm married and have been on more than 2 dates over the course of my life hahaha).  The point is that I don't think you should be in a big rush to set the course for your entire life right now.  You have no idea what kind of opportunities or roadblocks you will encounter in your future, so it makes a certain amount of sense to remember to be flexible and adapt to whatever your current circumstances you may be experiencing.  You could always steer yourself towards whatever goals you have in mind (some sort of environmental technology might be a good thing to look into), but you know, when I was in school I hated every last minute of it, and the last thing I wanted to do was ever go back to one.  I ended up teaching in Japan for nearly 10 years and it was the best job I ever had.  So my advice would be to chill out a bit.  Take your time to figure yourself out, and trust me, it's gonna take time.  That sure ain't gonna happen overnight.

[Propfam 2,288]

I want to be a coder but I want to be NAM modder too? What should I learn first: coding or transit modding? Especially the transit modding requires texturing skill.

Thanks.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

1 hour ago, chfzdn said:

I want to be a coder but I want to be NAM modder too? What should I learn first: coding or transit modding? Especially the transit modding requires texturing skill.

Thanks.

Transit network modding is basically a subset of coding, and to be honest, RUL code has an extremely high learning curve, so I'd start off with texturing if you can. (I mean, that's how I started.) If, somewhere along the line and step by step, you manage to understand RUL0, then RUL2, then INRUL and RUL1, you'd know how to make anything in the NAM that doesn't require 3D models (and modeling, particularly with Blender, has a really high learning curve).

Failing that, you can try modifying a station's capacity and other similar stats. I don't know the policy for re-lots, but the NAM already has a bunch of pre-relotted stations. Conveniently, there's a list of standards for NAM transit stations, catered specifically for gameplay with the NAM (I don't know where they are, though).

I will say this: NAMdev, as a whole, will inevitably involve 2D graphics art, 3D modeling, and an insane amount of programming knowledge and knowing how to use Github, roughly on par with game development and software development, and given that SC4 has never received any updates (and probably never will), it may as well be game development. No matter what you do, you will have to do debugging in the form of constantly stopping and restarting SC4.

If that's too daunting, I don't blame you, but I don't wanna scare you, either; I mean, this stuff is really tricky to learn and will get you to pull your hair out, but you can ask 16-year-old me about how satisfying it is to have a single tile be textured when there was previously no texture for that tile.

If you just wanna program, I recommend finding a programming tutorial somewhere online and installing an IDE (integrated development environment) such as Visual Studio or IntelliJ or Eclipse or Codeblocks. There are plenty of tutorials for all sorts of languages and IDEs for specific languages. Since I learned all my programming from formal classes (Visual Basic and C++ are the two languages I currently know so far), I can't think of any YT channels that can you lead you to a programming resource, but it should be easy to find through a quick search on Youtube or Google.

Unless you like C++, I probably wouldn't recommend it; there are high-level programming languages that make for great entry-level programming languages. If you somehow start with C++, supposedly that will put you in a unique position where, if you then learn a high-level programming language, it's supposedly easier to learn because there's less code to type out, but having barely tried Kotlin and C#, I can't attest to that claim just yet.

[matias93 7,535]

Wow, Chief, I remember having those feelings at your age!! I studied on a really crazy secondary school, the first on the country, where they teached us to strive to change the world, to be big achievers, behave as some kind of 'national elite' destined to be big businessmen and politicians (did I mention that it was a boys-only school? See 'really crazy' above).

And yes, that mindset has its advantages, because is nice to feel that one has a clear purpose in life, and is great to feel that important people on your life, like your favourite teachers, trust on your abilities and your character.

But with that comes also a terrible downfall: when you intend to change the world, you become constantly and painfully anxious. You don't play anymore, you are training yourself for leadership through what others see as games. You cannot spend time bonding with others or having friends: the people you know is only a 'network' on which you look for resources to advance your plans. You begin to disregard other people's opinions on what affects them: after all, who is the one that's going to be the leader? You, isn't it? Then you are the one that knows better what's the best for them!

Case in point: you stop living your life and begin only to plan it; everything goes around the big plan that will make you famous. Maybe you'll do good things on the meantime, but you won't be able to recognise them as such: the thankfulness of the people won't have any value of its own, it will be merely extra points on a lifelong race.

Eventually, everyone of us that once got on that path is going to hit and crash against an obstacle so big that your 'big plan' will end shattered in pieces. At that moment, you have three options: (a) you become cynical and abandon all compromise with goodwill, blaming society for your failings and becoming selfish; (b) you become depressed and obsessive about how your big plan was transformed into a big fail, and you escape from anybody that could eventually blame you; (c) you come to terms with your human fragility and lack of power, and give up for good on all big plans.

That one is the only sane alternative: we, as individuals, are incredibly weak and unable to change things. We cannot change the world because it's always being changed by every single person on it; trying to shut our eyes at that fact is like to decide we won't believe on gravity and to jump from a skyscraper: no matter how strongly you believe on this power myth, you are still going to hit the ground. It's much better to aknowlegde our fragility and to use the stairs.

But hey, this doesn't mean that you have to renounce to have a purpose in life: as individuals we are weak and powerless, but we humans have an impressive superpower as a species: the ability to know each other, to engage on common ideals and to organise ourselves to make them reality.

You can be much more useful to your community, your country and your world by becoming part of a bigger team of people you know, by contributing with your specifical skills and talents. So go and learn to code (you don't even need a computer for that: some of the best programmers in history did their programmes on paper or perforated cards), keep a personal diary on your ideas and projects, even if you don't tell anybody else about them, participate on communitary activities, get involved in politics you understand, make yourself informed, think critically about others' and your own ideas...

But please, don't tie yourself to a big plan for changing the world alone. Be humble, know your own weaknesses and take care of your loved beings and friends before planning anything. After all, your first and foremost duty in life is to not become a wonderful monster: loved superficially by complete strangers and hated by everyone that trusted their emotions on them.

[Propfam 2,288]

OK, I'll learn coding first but what programming language should I learn first? Python or HTML/CSS/JS or Kotlin or C# or even C++? Python is general even can be used in scientific sector (currently, I'm not scientist but it's cool to implement it for instance, in game) but can't be used to make website and mobile apps. HTML, CSS & JS combo can be used to make websites and even serve webpages (Node.js) but doesn't have NumPy, SciPy etc. Kotlin can be used to make Android apps but they can't be used to make games. And C# is general and supports gaming but it's in runtime like Java, so the performance may lower than the native (or compiled to native) counterpart.

Thanks.

[Jasoncw 11,840]

6 hours ago, chfzdn said:

OK, I'll learn coding first but what programming language should I learn first? Python or HTML/CSS/JS or Kotlin or C# or even C++? Python is general even can be used in scientific sector (currently, I'm not scientist but it's cool to implement it for instance, in game) but can't be used to make website and mobile apps. HTML, CSS & JS combo can be used to make websites and even serve webpages (Node.js) but doesn't have NumPy, SciPy etc. Kotlin can be used to make Android apps but they can't be used to make games. And C# is general and supports gaming but it's in runtime like Java, so the performance may lower than the native (or compiled to native) counterpart.

Thanks.

Your initial question was about making the world a better place.

Your current questions are about choosing hobbies. Your hobbies are unrelated to making the world a better place. Do whatever seems like the most fun.

[TekindusT 3,809]

Funny that you mention the scientific sector because I was about to write about it. What about Python or even better, MATLAB? You can contribute to the improvement of society from a technologic/scientific stance. Renewable energies, life sciences, telecommunications, civil engineering... Almost any engineering branch has a direct impact on the improvement of society. And whatever specific branch, one thing is sure, fast and efficient treatment of ever increasing data volumes is key for a successful research. The best experiment-based research group without someone who at least knows a bit or two about MATLAB or similar languages won't go too far these days. It can even save some valuable funds if custom-coded programs are used instead of extremely expensive off-the-shelf data analysis software packages, this way, bringing science closer to those with less resources.

[Propfam 2,288]

Although Python is the recommended first language of newbies, Python can't be used in mobile apps as Swift or Kotlin or even JavaScript (and its derivatives) and startups almost doesn't use it. They often uses Node.js (run top on JavaScript), Ruby (Ruby on Rails of course) and PHP with proper framework. I think Python will be used on servers and desktops, for wide range of usages but it doesn't go into mobile app development.

OK, I've found a course on Udacity thats learn both HTML, CSS and Python (yes, no JavaScript) but it's paid US$400 single-time and my family can't afford it now.

Thanks.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I haven't looked, but I imagine there are some free courses to teach programming. Keep in mind that 90% of what one learns is the logic of programming and good structuring. Once you learn one language and can use it well then picking up another is simple because it's only the syntax that is different. So, learn what you can now at no cost and it'll serve you well later. (I'm fluent in several languages so I'm stating this from my own knowledge.)

[adsii1970 85]

What I would like to share may sound mean-spirited, but in truth, it really isn't. Before you report this post, please let me explain.

Age has a way of playing a cruel trick on people. Always does, always will, and always has. I'm nearly 50 and at one point, when I was about your age, I had very similar dreams and aspirations - still do, but my perspective has changed. Can I, an almost-50 year old man change the world? In a very short answer, much like the shortness of a lifespan in the eyes of time,  no, I cannot. But the story does not end there.

Because of my faith and because of my llife's philosophy, it isn't my job to change the entire world. However, it is a job to make the difference in my own area. And this is the key. People who want to make a difference begin with themselves first. I could not expect to make a difference in the lives of others while I still had things to deal with in my own life. See, often times, tragedy and hardship creates a desire in us to want to make a difference in others - and yes, it does make us feel good. But the problem is that feeling is short-lived because our own discomfort and pain will come back. And at times, that pain and frustration can overwhelm us. This happened to me in 2006 - and it became so bad I was contemplating suicide.

But there was something else that happened in 2006; for some unknown reason, I was able to make peace with my past. And in doing so, I gained a perspective about my life. No, I may not be able to change the world, but I can change my little dimple of it.

Do not be afraid, even at your age, to set a goal. But first, look in the mirror and strive to find out everything about that person you see. Learn their weakness, what scares them, and when they feel the most vulnerable. Learn about what they see as their best victory and their worst failure. And learn these things do not define that person - nor should they ever. Seek peace with who you see in that mirror. And once you've done that, you'll be able to see things more clearly.

[Ganaram Inukshuk 906]

Let me throw in my own thoughts into this:

Having a commonly used programming language isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's extremely useful. Even though I've never used Python (even though I want to), there are plenty of uses for it: science, games, apparently finance, the list goes on. The same can be said about other commonly used languages, like Java.

That said, one of the things you learn later on with programming languages, especially if you end up studying computer science, is that languages are often made for a specific purpose and field. Yes, you probably wouldn't use Python for mobile development, but you wouldn't use Kotlin for neural networks. C++ is usually touted as the gold standard for AAA game development, but C# seems to do just fine for Cities: Skylines, and Java for Minecraft (at least unmodded or lightly modded). (And don't get me started on Roller Coaster Tycoon; even though I've never played it, all I know is that it was programmed by ONE person using 99% assembly language and 1% C. You won't understand what I'm saying unless you're that devoted to computer science, but I personally can't live without the abstractions all the other high-level programming languages provide.) Every language has its place, so pick something you feel is the easiest to start with.

And you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on online courses, either; all you need is a good Internet connection and a quick Youtube search, or if your connection speed isn't good for transmitting video, you can still find text-based tutorials. (Videos help out a lot, so it's recommended to watch tutorial vids if you can.)

I'm personally most comfortable with C++ and developing for desktop PC's, not so much mobile development (Java kinda left a bad taste in my mouth). Pick whatever platform you're most comfortable with and don't feel pressured to use the most popular one, either; this is all a learning experience, so whatever you learn developing on one platform could be used to develop on another. Or if you're uncomfortable with switching platforms, you don't have to, and that's perfectly fine, too.

[vortext 573]

Thought I'd add my two cents. Regarding changing the world it's rather simple imo even though it sounds incredibly cheesy; be the change you want to see. Or to put that another way; in order to change the world start by changing yourself. You want the world to be more positive, so be more positive yourself. Be kind to people, don't rush to judgement, have patience with yourself and others. 

As for how to start coding; honestly the framework / language doesn't matter as long as you learn the fundamentals first of all. How to structure a program, how to use interfaces & classes,  how to use callbacks and events,  etc.  You learn this best by picking  something you feel most comfortable with. Personally I actually learned coding with Processing because it offered such a clean and clutter free environment to work in compared to other, full fledged IDEs (which scared the crap out of me at the time).

Fast forward a couple of years (understatement ) and now I work as data analyst / developer for my day job and use C#, Javascript, R, Python, Java and most recently Kotlin (not to mention data query languages like sql, graphql, mongoshell and general purpose stuff like powershell, bash, rst, plantuml, etc). Do I know all the ins-n-outs of every language and framework? Of course not! However, about 95% of skills you pick up learning a single language can be applied to other languages and paradigms (debugging for instance is such a skill). So find something - a language, a framework or project  - which satisfies your curiosity and can hold your interest for long enough to allow for in depth learning. Don't be afraid this will pin you down because as I said, most of the skills you develop during this period will be applicable to coding in general later on. 

[Propfam 2,288]

22 hours ago, Ganaram Inukshuk said:

Let me throw in my own thoughts into this:

Having a commonly used programming language isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's extremely useful. Even though I've never used Python (even though I want to), there are plenty of uses for it: science, games, apparently finance, the list goes on. The same can be said about other commonly used languages, like Java.

That said, one of the things you learn later on with programming languages, especially if you end up studying computer science, is that languages are often made for a specific purpose and field. Yes, you probably wouldn't use Python for mobile development, but you wouldn't use Kotlin for neural networks. C++ is usually touted as the gold standard for AAA game development, but C# seems to do just fine for Cities: Skylines, and Java for Minecraft (at least unmodded or lightly modded). (And don't get me started on Roller Coaster Tycoon; even though I've never played it, all I know is that it was programmed by ONE person using 99% assembly language and 1% C. You won't understand what I'm saying unless you're that devoted to computer science, but I personally can't live without the abstractions all the other high-level programming languages provide.) Every language has its place, so pick something you feel is the easiest to start with.

And you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on online courses, either; all you need is a good Internet connection and a quick Youtube search, or if your connection speed isn't good for transmitting video, you can still find text-based tutorials. (Videos help out a lot, so it's recommended to watch tutorial vids if you can.)

I'm personally most comfortable with C++ and developing for desktop PC's, not so much mobile development (Java kinda left a bad taste in my mouth). Pick whatever platform you're most comfortable with and don't feel pressured to use the most popular one, either; this is all a learning experience, so whatever you learn developing on one platform could be used to develop on another. Or if you're uncomfortable with switching platforms, you don't have to, and that's perfectly fine, too.

I have bought a Python book on Kobo Books (yes, e-books). But, I have only phones, is this fine?

[matias93 7,535]

I know for a fact that you can code on a phone, but it has to be horribly uncomfortable and really bad for your thumbs.

Also, if you are indeed just beginning, maybe it would be more useful to learn the basics without using a computer at all. There is something called 'pseudocode' that you can do on a paper notebook: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudocode

[SIM-ple Jack 17,444]

"What Should I Do to Change the World"

 

Every time I hear someone say this, I think of the Tylenol poisoner back in the 1980's. He changed the world. Now it takes me 45 minutes and a machete, just to open a jar of mayonaise.