My Python Journey: From Secret Code to Open Source

Building a desktop pet is a surprisingly effective way to actually learn Python when online courses feel like a slog. I started a project called myCat years ago as a way to apply theory to something tangible, but for a long time, I kept the codebase hidden because it didn't look like the "professional" code written by senior devs.

The real shift happened when I started integrating an AI workflow into my development process. I used myCat as a sandbox for AI experiments—first with ChatGPT and then moving into Cursor—before I felt comfortable applying those tools to paid client work. Using an LLM agent to refactor my messy early logic helped me realize that "perfect" code is a myth and that the value lies in the functionality and the iteration.

I've finally moved the project to open source. It's a simple screen-pet program, but it represents my transition from a timid beginner to a dev who embraces AI-assisted coding.

For anyone interested in seeing a real-world example of a small-scale Python project or wanting to see how a beginner's code evolves with AI help, the source is available here:

https://github.com/yumiaura/myCat

If you're a seasoned dev, I'd appreciate any technical feedback on the architecture. For those just starting out, I highly recommend finding a "pet project" like this—it's the only way to make the syntax actually stick.