Thank you for sharing.  I decided to do AoC this year to refine my Python skills.  I am working on day 8 this morning.  Some have been more challenging than others, but I have learned new skills in each one.

The leaderboard is intimidating.  However, for folks who are competitive and have friends who might want to participate, you can join private leaderboards to show how you rank against each other.

If anyone is even curious, you should give it a try!