[NFBCS] Learning Programming

[Steve Jacobson]

Joe,

My thoughts are on the same path as what Curtis wrote but with my twist.  Making yourself more efficient at tasks that you perform is not necessarily the same as learning a programming language for a possible job.  If you do most of your work in Microsoft Office, there are a number of languages that can be used to create word and Excel macros.  Visual Basic can be learned and used pretty quickly, for example, but it is not a language that one thinks of for getting a job.

One specific thing I would like to add regarding Python documentation is that Python is very dependent upon how lines are indented.  This is very manageable for a blind programmer, but in my experience, books on Python that appear very accessible sometimes don't correctly represent the indentation.  You can learn what the indentation should be and still use the examples, but you need to be aware of that fact.

I find in my own life that if I make a task too large it doesn't get completed.  If you primarily work in Microsoft Office, just trying anything as a starter might give you a sense of what the possibilities are and allow you to choose the best path for you.

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson

From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Joe Orozco via NFBCS
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 12:48 PM
To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
Cc: Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com>
Subject: [NFBCS] Learning Programming

Hello,

I want to become more efficient with my time. I'm trying to decide if learning how to program could make me achieve that goal. I work a lot with MS Word files, spreadsheets, Outlook, and PDF files. I need things to be more automated in the process of writing reports and generating invoices. Would I benefit from learning a programming language? If so, which programming language should I learn? I'm also looking for something that would make me more marketable for future jobs. I've gotten a couple recommendations but want to pick your brain with a clean slate. By contrast, if you think programming would only be a distraction if software development is not my primary job, I would be curious about this feedback as well.

Thank you kindly for any guidance!

Joe


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