When I first started learning Python, one of the first things I wanted to build was a calculator. Not because I couldn’t just use the one on my phone — but because I wanted to really understand how a computer processes input, performs logic, and gives output.
So I sat down and began piecing together a simple version. It started with just a few input() calls: ask the user for two numbers and an operator. Then I added conditional statements to perform the correct operation based on whether the user typed +, -, *, or /. Already, I was seeing how the pieces of Python syntax started forming something real.
But then came the unexpected — what if someone enters a letter instead of a number? What if they try to divide by zero? These were moments where things broke — and that’s where I learned the most. I added a try-except block to catch invalid inputs, and a condition to handle division by zero gracefully.
Each time I ran the program and it worked, it felt like a small victory.
To make the experience smoother, I wrapped everything in a while loop, allowing users to perform multiple calculations without restarting the program. I also added a simple “Do you want to continue?” prompt at the end of each run.
What I ended up with was a simple, functional, console-based calculator — nothing fancy, no GUI, no advanced math — but it was mine, and it worked.
And most importantly, I understood every line of it.
This project taught me more than just how to do arithmetic in Python.
It showed me how to:
- break problems into smaller parts
- handle errors gracefully
- think like a developer
I’m planning to refactor this code into functions soon, and maybe one day even build a GUI version. But this early version will always be a small milestone — the moment I realized I could actually build something with code.