As an experienced technologist and Pythonista, I often get asked by aspiring developers and those looking to switch careers – "How and where do I start learning Python?".
With so many courses, books, websites and tutorials out there, it can get extremely overwhelming trying to navigate as a beginner looking to break into coding and pick up an invaluable skill.
Based on my over 15 years of expertise in helping developers master Python and transition into technology careers, I‘ve curated this definitive, hand-held guide on stellar resources across 12 categories that will launch your Python learning journey.
By the end, of this guide, you‘ll have a clear roadmap for efficiently mastering Python with amazing courses, books, communities and tips.
Overview – 12 Ways to Learn Python
Here are the 12 key ways covered in this guide:
- Video Courses – Structured online courses with coding exercises
- Websites – Interactive online tutorials and courses
- Books – Best Python books for structured learning
- Podcasts – Weekly shows for staying inspired
- Online Communities – For troubleshooting issues and motivation
- Coding Challenges – Coding games to practice skills
- Local Workshops – In-person help and mentors
- Learning Tips – Proven principles for faster proficiency
- Applications – Cool apps you can build to show progress
- Cheat Sheets – Handy references for syntax
- Newsletters – Regular news and insights
- Forums – Getting help from community discussions
Now let‘s explore each area in detail –
The Rise of Python
Before jumping in, it‘s worth looking at why Python is absolutely worth your time and energy to learn today.
Beyond beginner friendly syntax that reads like natural language, here are some key reasons for its meteoric rise:
- Versatile: Used across web development, data science, machine learning, automation. Huge number of libraries available
- High Demand: Average salaries for Python devs are over $120k according to Glassdoor. LinkedIn‘s 2020 emerging jobs report showed it as the #2 fastest growing skill
- Future Proof: According to a survey from IEEE Spectrum, Python stands to be amongst the top programming languages used in next 10 years.
So by starting your Python journey today, you’re future proofing yourself with an invaluable skill. Now let’s explore the learning resources:
Video Courses for Guided Learning
When starting out, video courses allow for guided, structured learning of Python from absolute scratch:
Complete Python Bootcamp on Udemy
With a stellar 4.7 rating across 400,000+ students, this course offers lifetime access to over 20+ hours of on-demand video covering:
- Core Python – Data structures, OOP, exceptions
- GUI Apps with Tkinter
- Web scraping
- Building games
- Django web development
- Matplotlib data visualization
- MySQL databases
- JavaScript integration
- 300+ downloadable lectures
The project-based pedagogy ensures you build 10 real apps helping reinforce your learning. At $15 when on sale, this is the ultimate one-stop resource to go from beginner to Python expert.
Python for Everybody Track on Coursera
Created by University of Michigan and professor Dr. Chuck Severance who has decades of teaching experience, it‘s one of Coursera‘s most popular sequences with 5 courses and over 13+ hours of video content spanning:
- Writing expressions and statements
- Data structures – Strings, Lists, Dictionaries
- Using web data and databases
- Python data analysis – JSON, SQL, visualization
Additionally you get quizzes, hands-on assignments and a final capstone project. Shareable certificates incentivize progress tracking.
Learn Python 3 From Scratch
One of the top Python courses on Pluralsight, this 7+ hour course has visual examples and detailed explanations across these key topics:
- Syntax, data types and structures
- Functions, classes and inheritance
- Exception handling
- Modules like datetime, math, random
- File I/O operations
- Iterators and generators
- Debugging efficiency tips
With supplemental learning materials like projects, slides and cheat sheets, it‘s amongst the highest rated courses.
Websites for Interactive Exercises
Complementing video content with these interactive browser-based tutorials sets you up for effective learning:
W3Schools Python Tutorial
As mentioned earlier, W3Schools content spans basic syntax like operators, data types, loops to functions, classes, modules with simple examples for absolute beginners.
With over 100 Python exercises where you can edit the code examples or create your own illustrations, it lets you solidify concepts through hands-on coding.
Python Course on Codecademy
Another coding focused website, Codecademy also incorporates built-in practice environment for writing, running and testing code without installations.
Beyond foundations in programming like Boolean logic, Python syntax, built-in functions and exception handling, it now also offers specialized courses like:
- Learn Data Science in Python
- Machine Learning with Python
- Python for Finance
This expands your capabilities to domain applications like AI, visualization and analysis.
Dataquest
Specifically focused on Python for data science and analysis skills critical today, Dataquest has over 65+ step-by-step guides across:
- Python Fundamentals – Functions, lists, logic
- Data analysis libraries – Pandas, Numpy, Seaborn
- Data visualization – Matplotlib, Plotly, Folium
- Data cleaning techniques
- Exploratory data analysis
- Model building with classification, regression, clustering
- And more with real-world datasets and projects
With personalized progress tracking and technical mentors, Dataquest empowers Python data skills.
