Ball python or blue tongued skink ?

Hello, I am a first time reptile owner (well I wanna be) I’m just doing all my research now and I’ve been looking at ball pythons and skinks. I’m a bit nervous about handling a ball python as it gets larger, but I enjoy snakes. I’m interested in skinks because they SEEM easier to handle even when they’re a bit bigger. (Let me know if that’s incorrect) I have the current space for a 40 gallon tank, I’m moving in March, then I will be able to get a 4x2x2. I’m thinking about waiting till March so I can get a 4x2x2 I’m having a hard time figuring out which would work best for me, can any owners of either give me some insight as to how it is to have either as a pet