the first language is the most difficult,
The first anything is most difficult. Try to switch from skis to a snowboard.
if I spend the next eight months mastering Python, will I pretty much be able to pick up at least fair proficiency in any other OO language within a month of studying it or whatever?
A month? No. Eventually? Yes.
How easy is it to burn out?
It's a job. How easy is it to burn out at any job?
Is Python a good base to learn from?
It makes you hate other languages because they feel more convoluted when learning.
So? It's a job. Every few years there's a new technology that (a) you must learn and (b) doesn't compare well with any previous technology.
Bummer on that. After 35 years of programming, I can only say that you're right. Everything new is bad and everything you already know is better.
If you're a professional programmer, did you have any of the same fears?
No. None of the things you've mention matter much at all.
Be afraid of criminally mis-managed companies going out of business. That's something to be afraid of.
Afraid of a new technology? Please. Dive in. Get a job. If you don't like it, build new skills, get other jobs.
Would you recommend that I stick to computer repair and Python rather than try to get into corporate programming?
Again, it doesn't matter. 30 years from now, none of this will exist and we'll all be programming with languages that haven't been invented yet on user interfaces that don't even exist in movies.
When I started, we punched our programs on paper cards. Really.
If you fear the future, you fear life itself. Don't worry. Build new skills as quickly as you can.
