So where should someone start in 2022? There are so many options, resources, languages. I kinda have an analysis paralysis.
Python would be the obvious choice (I think?). What are some recommended books or courses?
MIT 6.0001 was recomended by someone as a good point but maybe there other options too. But others said it's an introductory CS course using Python, not a Python course https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-0001-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-in-python-fall-2016/pages/syllabus/
And there is this thread too https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30980813
I'd glad to hear some advice
(a) You have a quantitative background (math, physics, engineering, finance). The answer here is to simply ask your colleagues what they use and copy them. Those are all sectors where access to libraries and specialized software is very important, so that should be your main concern. As a default, Python is sensible: it might not be the best choice but it's unlikely to be terribly wrong either.
(b) You would like to make your own life easier, or write some software for a specific purpose, but you are not interested in being a professional developer. In this case I'll go against the grain and suggest you learn Javascript. As a language... you have better options, let's leave it at that, but it's very easy to get started with, there's a wealth of libraries available, it can play double duty as both a backend and frontend language, and you can't go wrong betting on the Web.
(c) You would like software to be your career. In this case, focus on the fundamentals and not languages. Try to learn at least a low level language (C, C++, Rust...), at least a typed high-level OO language (Go, Java, C#...) and at least a scripting language (Python, Ruby, Perl...). Make sure to learn SQL.
If your goal is truly to make your life easier rather than switching careers in three months flat, then I'd avoid any resource that demands you install heaps of dependencies, copy reams of boilerplate code, or stitch together disparate concerns like databases, web UIs, cloud services, etc. It's a terrible way to learn.
Honestly, how's your bash? Do you know to pipe and redirect output? What exactly do you want to do to make life simple, and how far can you get with that using curl, jq, sed, whatever? I'm not telling you to learn to program through shell scripting, but you'll be starting from a much better place once you understand standard input and output instead of opening VSCode and copypasting 40 lines of OOP wank into it.
You can refine the individual bits of your processing pipeline into proper programs once you've identified where the complexity lives. Python seems like a popular choice here. Can't fucking stand it myself, but I don't think the language matters as much as developing the overall flow intuition does.