Alexis Kestler
Hey friend! Learning Python for the first time? I feel you. As an experienced programmer, I remember how foreign and intimidating coding can seem in the beginning.
But trust me, with the right resources and a bit of determination, you can absolutely master Python even as a total beginner. I learned it myself not too long ago!
That‘s why I put together this epic guide just for Python newbies like you. I included the 12 best courses, books, tutorials and tools that helped me go from zero to hero with Python.
By the end, you‘ll have a clear roadmap for starting your Python journey on the fast track to success. LET‘S DO THIS!
Why Learn Python? (Hint: It‘s awesome)
Before we dig into the learning resources, you may be wondering:
"What‘s so great about Python anyway? Why learn it versus another programming language?"
These are fantastic questions to ask! Here are 5 key reasons why Python is 100% worth your time:
1. Huge community and ecosystem
Python has one of the largest and most active developer communities worldwide. The massive ecosystem of Python libraries, frameworks, tutorials and more is unparalleled.
This means as a Python developer you‘ll get access to tons of prebuilt tools, packages and support resources. You don‘t have to reinvent the wheel!
2. Insanely versatile
You can use Python to build just about anything:
- Web and mobile apps
- Desktop software
- System automation scripts
- Data science models
- Machine learning algorithms
- Computer vision applications
- And way more!
Python can do it all. Learning Python equips you with in-demand skills across many industries.
3. Easy to read and write
Just look how nice and clean this Python code is:
name = "John"
print(f"Hello {name}!")
if name == "John":
print("Have a nice day!")
else:
print("Who are you!?")The syntax reads similar to English. This makes Python a joy to write and easy to learn for beginners.
4. Interactive and engaging
Python has an interactive shell and live environment that allows playing with code and getting instant results. This makes learning Python more fun and hands-on!
5. In high demand with companies
Python developers are sought after and well compensated at companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix, Dropbox, Uber, Reddit, IBM, Microsoft and many more.
Knowing Python can open up many lucrative career opportunities. The average Python developer salary in the US is $120k! 💰
Python Growth Continues Exploding
Python‘s popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. Here are some stats:
- #1 most wanted language for 6 years straight on StackOverflow
- #3 most popular overall programming language per IEEE Spectrum
- Used by 59% of data scientists and 39% of machine learning developers according to Kaggle‘s 2021 survey
- Average Python developer salaries have increased over 25% from 2019 to 2022 per Dice
As you can see, learning Python is a smart long-term investment in your skills. Now let‘s get you on the fast track…
Video Courses to Master Python
Video courses allow learning Python visually at your own pace. Here are some of the top-rated picks:
Python for Everybody Specialization (Coursera)
I‘m currently taking this course myself! It‘s taught by the legendary Dr. Charles "Chuck" Severance who has 30+ years teaching experience.
The specialization has 5 courses covering everything Python from absolute basics to databases, web development, and data analysis.
Over 1 million students have already enrolled making it one of Coursera‘s most popular courses ever!
The video lectures are clear and engaging. You code right in the browser so you don‘t need to install Python yet. Quizzes and coding challenges reinforce each concept.
This will give you a rock solid Python foundation at an easy pace. Highly recommended!
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, file I/O, databases, web scraping, data analysis
Time to complete: 4-6 months at 5 hours/week
Price: Free or $49/month for Coursera subscription
30 Days of Python (Udemy)
For affordable paid courses, Udemy is a great option. This bootcamp packs a ton of Python content into 7+ hours of video.
Instructor Kylie Ying is a data scientist with a gift for teaching. She breaks concepts down into simple examples. The frequent code exercises will help cement your skills quickly.
Key topics: Basic syntax, data types, functions, OOP, web scraping, NumPy, projects
Time to complete: 7 hours
Price: $10-20
CS50‘s Introduction to Programming with Python (edX)
Harvard‘s CS50 is basically the intro programming course. The professors David Malan and Brian Yu are engaging and hilarious.
This Python-focused version will give you a rock solid base in computer science fundamentals like computational thinking, algorithms and data structures.
The problem sets are challenging but really push your skills forward. You‘ll come out confident in not just Python basics but broader programming concepts.
Key topics: Computational thinking, basic syntax, algorithms, data structures, testing
Time to complete: 8 weeks at 10-20 hours/week
Price: Free
Python Tutorial for Beginners (FreeCodeCamp)
For a quality free video option, FreeCodeCamp‘s 8 hour YouTube tutorial is excellent.
Instructor Mike Dane covers all the essentials including OOP and popular libraries like NumPy. The mini projects and code exercises are great for active learning.
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, functions, OOP, modules/libraries
Time to complete: 8 hours
Price: Free
Websites for Learning Python By Reading
Prefer learning by reading? These interactive Python tutorial websites are fantastic:
LearnPython.org
This completely free and online course teaches Python through hands-on browser coding challenges.
As you solve real programming problems, the concepts will stick better than any lecture could. I found the content extremely thorough and beginner-friendly.
Key topics: Basic syntax, strings, lists, conditionals, loops, functions, classes, debugging
Time to complete: 8+ hours
Price: Free
W3Schools Python Tutorial
With over 11 million monthly visitors, the W3Schools Python tutorial is massively popular for good reason.
The reference-style lessons provide concise and digestible introductions to Python that you can revisit anytime.
Code examples are editable right on the page so you can tweak them and see the results.
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, functions, modules/packages, NumPy basics
Time to complete: 5+ hours
Price: Free
Python for Everybody (University of Michigan)
This interactive course is adapted from Dr. Chuck‘s popular Python for Everybody Specialization featured earlier.
The content focuses on building real-world Python skills for data tasks like scraping, cleaning, analyzing and visualizing data.
Key topics: Basic syntax, file I/O, data structures, databases, data visualization
Time to complete: 5+ hours
Price: Free
Learn Python (Codecademy)
Codecademy is famous for their learn-by-doing approach. Their Python course incorporates lots of live exercises so you can practice coding as you learn.
The content is divided into manageable pieces. You‘re incentivized to make regular progress with points and rewards.
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, functions classes, file I/O, data visualization
Time to complete: 10+ hours
Price: Free or $20/month Pro subscription
Best Books for Learning Python
Books allow taking your Python learning offline at your own pace. Here are some of the top-rated options:
Python Crash Course, 2nd Edition
Eric Matthes‘ classic Python Crash Course is the perfect on-ramp for Python beginners. It‘s one of the highest rated programming books with over 2800 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ reviews on Amazon!
The first part covers core Python concepts like lists, dictionaries, classes and file I/O with short, digestible chapters.
The second part has you build web apps and data science projects from scratch to cement your skills. It‘s ideal for hands-on learners.
This was my first Python book and I can‘t recommend it highly enough!
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, OOP, debugging, file I/O, web apps, data science
Good for: Absolute beginners looking for a thorough introduction
Automate the Boring Stuff with Python
Got tedious computer tasks you‘d love to automate? Then this book is for you.
Popular author Al Sweigart takes a project-based approach to Python beginners can relate to. You‘ll build programs that do useful things like:
- Sending automated emails and texts
- Filling out forms
- Downloading files
- PDF manipulation
- Web scraping
- Building GUIs
It‘s never been easier to automate repetitive digital work. The book mixes fun projects with Python fundamentals.
Key topics: Basic syntax, automation, file I/O, web scraping, regex, GUIs
Good for: Beginners who want to automate tasks on their computer
Python for Everybody: Exploring Data in Python 3
A follow-up to his beginner-friendly Python for Everybody course, Dr. Chuck‘s book focuses on using Python for data tasks.
It‘s very approachable and teaches by example. You‘ll gain real job-ready data skills like:
- Scraping data from the web
- Organizing/cleaning data
- Storing data in databases
- Statistical analysis
- Visualizing data
- And more!
If you‘re interested in data science or analytics, this book is extremely practical.
Key topics: Fundamental Python, data scraping/mining, data cleaning, databases, visualization
Good for: Beginners who want to work with data in Python
A Byte of Python
This free Python book by Swaroop CH is available online or PDF. It‘s concise, straightforward, and widely used by beginners.
A Byte of Python avoids fluff and gets right to core concepts like:
- Lists, tuples, dictionaries
- Loops, conditions
- Functions, modules
- Classes and objects
- File I/O
- Exceptions
I like the compact chapters focused on a single concept. Quick and easy to digest!
Key topics: Basic syntax, data structures, modules, OOP, file handling, exceptions
Good for: Beginners who want a no-fluff explanation of Python basics
Online Courses for Learning Python Fast
Online courses allow learning Python in small, manageable doses. Here are some top picks for busy learners:
Introduction to Python Programming (Udacity)
This free 6-week course is a perfect Python primer from highly-rated Udacity.
The curriculum was designed by Google to onboard aspiring programmers and launch careers. I found the quizzes and coding challenges extremely helpful.
You‘ll also build mini-projects to put concepts into practice like a weather reporting app. Highly recommended!
Time to complete: 6 weeks at 5 hours/week
Price: Free
Python 3 Programming Specialization (Coursera)
For learners who prefer more structure, this Coursera specialization from University of Michigan is fantastic.
It covers everything from Python basics to OOP, GUI development and web apps across 4 courses and dozens of hands-on labs.
The frequent quizzes keep you engaged as you progress through the expert-designed curriculum. You even build cool projects like a word cloud generator!
Time to complete: 4 months at 4 hours/week
Price: Free or $49/month Coursera subscription
Introduction to Python (edX)
For a quick Python overview, Microsoft‘s 3-4 hour course on edX is great.
You‘ll cover all the basics like data structures, functions, and object-oriented programming through bite-sized video lessons.
The interactive code exercises give you valuable hands-on practice as you learn.
Time to complete: 3-4 hours
Price: Free
Python Tutorial: Easy & Interactive (Sololearn)
The Sololearn mobile app has a free Python course that‘s perfect for learning on the go.
The content is broken into basic concepts that you can grasp in 10-15 minutes. Quizzes and flashcards reinforce retention.
For days when you just have a few minutes, it‘s a convenient way to expand your skills.
Time to complete: 5+ hours
Price: Free
Handy Python Cheat Sheets
Cheat sheets make awesome Python references to keep handy as you code. Here are some of my favorites:
Comprehensive Python Cheatsheet
This mammoth 4-page cheatsheet from WebsiteSetup has everything from basics to sciPy, NumPy, regex, database connections, and more.
Save it for quick lookups as you work on projects!
Topics covered: Basics, strings, lists, loops, functions, classes, data science
Link: WebsiteSetup‘s Python Cheatsheet
Python Crash Course Cheat Sheet
This cheatsheet is designed to pair with the Python Crash Course book featured earlier.
It covers Python basics up through lists, tuples, dicts, sets, exceptions and classes.
Topics covered: Python fundamentals and data structures
Link: Python Crash Course Cheat Sheet
Python Basics Cheat Sheet
For a clean, no-fuss reference, this Python Basics cheat sheet from WebsiteSetup delivers.
It boils down syntax, data types, string methods, functional programming and more onto a single page. Nice!
Topics covered: Python basics
Link: Python Basics Cheat Sheet
Time to Start Coding Python!
Hopefully by now you have a much better understanding of Python and some awesome resources to start learning with.
Here are a few final tips I wish I knew when starting out:
- Code every day – Even 10-15 minutes daily is better than 2 hours once a week
- Build projects you care about – Programming basics click once you use them for something real
- Join Python forums – Ask questions and stay motivated connecting with other learners
- Be patient – Some concepts take days or weeks to fully sink in
You got this! Just take it one lesson at a time and soon you‘ll be building powerful Python apps.
Now pick an interesting course, book or project and start coding today. Your incredible Python journey awaits!
I believe in you friend. You have all the resources need to succeed.
Let‘s master Python together 🐍
