i'd love to start learning to code, likely with python, but i'm not really sure where to start/what i should focus on. does anyone have any suggestions?

Download python from the windows store and a compiler (python's like a library, where as the compiler is an app that uses the library). You can use VScode, it's a pretty popular app (on PC).

After that, just watch intro to python videos on YouTube. And maybe a "Setting up VScode for python" video too if you're lost on that.

Good luck!

Another tip is to solve problems using whatever you learned.
After going through the python tutorials and learning the different concepts of programming. Try applying what you have learned on solving problems. For example, write a program that ask you for a date, then check whether is it a valid date and/or a leap year and prompt out the message on it.

ProjectEuler has a lot of mathematical/computer programming problems, which you can try. https://projecteuler.net/

leetCode also when you are confident. Just keep learning.

you shouldn't learn python. You should learn a good language. Like java. ;0

But Python is fun