Python for Everybody

Recommended: MOOC from Coursera Python for Everybody (5 Course Sequence)

I'm in course 3 / 5 right now and I can tell you it's far superior to other methods I've used like CodeAcademy. Dr. Severance from U of M does a GREAT job introducing concepts and introducing not only the language, but the logic that accompanies it.

Courses 1 and 2 are pretty basic if you're familiar with other programming languages, but in course 3 you start working with web scraping, APIs, RESTful data, JSON, etc. which IS very useful.

Check it out: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

People who are considering Majoring in CS, and are trying to decide where to go

I have seen a lot of these posts on this subreddit recently, and I figure it's easier to respond in a non-piecemeal fashion. My main advice is that, as long as the other school that you are looking at is in the top 20 or so for CS/DS undergrad, pick the school you feel more comfortable at/is cheaper/works best for you. The difference is not too large, and you will have good career prospects either way, so go where you are most comfortable.

That being said, if you want to sample what Umich EECS courses are like check out some of the Coursera courses, offered.

I can't recommend the Coursera course for this enough - https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

[Suggestion] Can we put together a wiki to answer all of the "How do I get started in DS?" questions?

I'm thinking a list of useful skills and links to online courses where they could start.

For example

Useful Programming Skills

• R - https://www.coursera.org/learn/r-programming
• Python - https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python
• DB Languages - MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL,...
• etc...

Statistics

• Basic Summary statistics - course link
• etc...

Useful Supporting Textbooks

• Mastering Regular Expressions - http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596528126.do

Interesting Podcasts

• Linear Digressions
• Data Stories
• Data Skeptic
• Partially Derivative

Thoughts?

Which course would you say is best and why? (Coursera vs EDX)

Coursera Python for Everybody Specialization VS EDX Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python

​

Which one do you think is best and why?

NOTE: EDX course uses Python 3.5 despite the url saying python 2

[Newbie] Could you recommend some follow-up courses for me?

I have enrolled in the Python for Everybody specialization, and it's been an awesome experience. I'm almost finished with the specialization, but I'm not sure where to go next.

The course has been a great introduction, but I'm not sure how much Python basics it covers. I will, of course, continue practising my Python knowledge through projects, but being in a course keeps me engaged.

What kind of course would you recommend for someone who knows enough Python to write a basic program? Should I enforce my general Python knowledge? Or should I look into courses on the applications of Python that interest me (i.e., Machine Learning, Data Science)?

Thank you!

My One Month Journey In Python :)

Hello Everyone!

I started learning python through the python for everybody course on Coursera. Learned the basics quickly as I had done a bit of C before. Started learning stuff about web scraping, html parsing, json, API, etc.

At this point, I was very intrigued in learning about data and what all things I could do with python. I went on to learn about different libraries that are so efficient in doing difficult jobs, it was fascinating. At the end of the course, I was introduced to Data visualization and that was something new I came across. It was really interesting to see how can very complex data can be visualized so gracefully and artistically. I was impressed. So I decided to take Data visualization as my first project.

It was really simple. I used my own Facebook data of a group chat as data set, used beautifulsoup to scrap and parse the data, sqlite3 to store it and then after some scripting, I had the list of top words used in the group chat. I used d3.js to Visualize the data and it was really beautiful. I felt really proud and showed off to my friends.

It's time to go deeper and do more cool stuff. Going to start off learning Machine Learning. Though I need some more project which can do to sharpen my skills. I am eager to hear to your advices and suggestions. I hope I am part of the commun now :) #BePythonic

Sleep on it!

Hello:

To all of my fellow CS students and those learning programming/coding, before you give in and google that exercise answer or look at that cheat sheet, if you have the time, sleep on it!

I am currently finishing up MIT - Python for Everybody since my school teaches Java and I want to know both and I was stuck on this exercise during my entire 12 hour night work shift. Being extremely tempted to just google the exercise knowing that the answer is on git, I decided to just sleep on it (after work of course). After waking up and going to the gym, I had a few ideas on how to solve the exercise. Finally! Getting home super excited and pumped, not even showering (I got to it later), I rushed to my desk and go to experimenting! I won't lie, I continued to fail for another hour or so before I finally figured it out!

I feel that from not googling the answer, I learned a lot more. I read this book by Barbara Oakley (A Mind for Numbers) which stated that we learn most from our failures (as many of us have heard). I witnessed this first hand!

Moral of the story: If you have the time, sleep on it before taking the easy route! It works.

A Newbie Question about Learning Python

I am wanting to expand my knowledge in the IT field. I decided to learn Python because I’m seeing it pop up more and more on posted job requests. I found Coursera.org offers a “specialization” pack is classes to learn Python.

1) has anyone taken the Python for Everyone course? 2) is there any other possible online sites that offers courses to learn Python? Exploring what’s out there before I decide.

I am hands-on visual learner so getting a “dummy’s book” will be rough for me to get through. Any advice or guidance will be appreciated, and thank you in advance for your comments!

Looking for input on two coursera courses: "An Introduction to Interactive Programming in Python (parts 1+2)" and the Python for Everybody courses

https://www.coursera.org/learn/interactive-python-1/

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

Has anyone taken either or both of these courses? I know the second link is suggested in the top rated comment of this sub, but the first link has a massive number of high ratings. Hoping you guys have some input! :)

Si je puis me permettre, je recommenderai plutôt le Python for everybody sur Coursera, sinon le programming for everybody, tous les deux par la Michigan University:

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

parce que le prof est un badass avec un tatouage Coursera sur le bras, et qu'il est très réputé. Chuck quelque chose, son nom. Le Python for everybody est d'ailleurs l'un des cours les plus prisés de Coursera.

[Python for Everybody Specialization starts in 3 hours on Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python)

For both python and programming beginners, this is a great opportunity. It is a package of four courses on python and a final project. I have enrolled for the first three courses which start in three hours. I would love to know other people who are interested. Link

Hi there!

I was in the exact same position as you currently are a couple of months ago, here is what I did that helped me a lot:

1. I started off with Introduction to Computer Science, this helped me understand how the web works and learnt the very basic nuts and bolts of programming, algorithms, data structure and computer science in general.

There is an amazing course made available for free by Harvard University called CS50, this course has some rave reviews online. You can access the whole course for free here: https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x

1. Next, I moved to Python, there is an amazing Specialization Course (a series of 4 courses) on Python for absolute beginners for free on Coursera (auditing the course is free, it's payable if you want a certificate) https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python?

2. I'm in the process of completing the above Python Specialization, and I'm trying to write code to automate stuff, this way I'm able to put my skills to use and build something useful out of it, there is a really cool book called: Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners Book by Al Sweigart which has a collection of some cool and simple projects which you can build using Python.

3. While you're learning python I would highly recommend you to learn Git, it shouldn't take you long to learn (2-3 hours at the max, to learn the basic stuff) and create a profile on Github and try to add some code to your repository on a daily basis. Here is a free course to learn Git and GitHub: https://www.udacity.com/course/how-to-use-git-and-github--ud775

This is a really cool way to keep a track of what you've learned while also helping other developers to easily review your code.

I initially tried watching random videos online but either I used to get stuck of I kept jumping from one video to another without learning much, I found a structured approach towards learning really fun and less intimidating.

Most important of all is that you dedicate some time on a daily basis towards your learning as opposed to learning once a week and you'll see real results in a few months.

Hope this helps and I wish you all the best.

I think it depends on what your hopeful outcome is! I'm no expert, but here are my thoughts.

If you are planning on making a significant career shift into the coding space, I'd recommend taking something more foundational with some proper CS elements involved.

I took this class from MITx, and even though it was incredibly high effort, it absolutely changed my life. I plan on taking CS50 from Harvard later this year because it explores more than just Python.

If you already have some background in coding, then I feel like whichever Python class you take - codeacademy, what have you, will teach you the basics of Python and you can decide where to go from there. For a useful collection of Python basics, I did enjoy browsing through the Python for Everybody course, which has a free accompanying textbook, if you learn better that way.

However, as a guy who feels a bit stuck in intro-level python, I'm currently going through the Python track in the Hyperskill platform, and it is the first course that got me off my ass and led me to creating a Github, and start publishing small projects and tasks that they had assigned. Which in the long run, I believe, is more significant than a few certificates I might have posted on my LinkedIn. It also teaches you how to use the basics of the PyCharm IDE, which was really intimidating to me when I opened the community edition with no knowledge of how to use it. Two birds one stone!

Good luck!

Yes, because you can take a coursera course on introductory programming and not need to take a year off. Do not quit your job to learn a skill you can learn by committing 5 hours a week for 4 months.

New programmer looking to start with Python

Hi everyone, I'm a high schooler with intermediate Java experience and beginner JavaScript experience and I'm looking to learn Python. I was wondering what you guys think of this (https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python) online program.

Is it doable and feesable? Will it give me enough experience to code some basic systems in Python? I'm not looking to learn machine learning or get an internship with Google tomorrow or anything, just build up some Python knowledge and get a certificate (hopefully) in the process.

I'm also very open to general thoughts and advice you guys have for learning python, thank you!!

Opinions on these Coursera courses. Java or Python.

Due to health reasons I wasn't able to attend college this semester, so I have plenty of free time.

I'm currently majoring in Finance which I like but my true love has always been computers. I didn't go for a career in computer-related stuff because both universities that I could attend don't offer a "focused" program, so I had to go with my second interest.

These 2 courses are starting next week and I'd like some input on them

One is for Python

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

and the other is for Java

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/java-programming

I know the basics of Python but I've read that it's not that common in companies. Since I'm majoring in Finance, which would you think would "complement" it better?

Yes, I've read the FAQ, just want a more personalized input.

Is Coursera individual classes no longer free?

I was looking at some classes, specifically https://www.coursera.org/specializations/fundamentalscomputing2 but the only option to enroll is to pay $49 per course or $343 for the entire thing. there was a few others like https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python that i was also interested in (the classes individually not the certificate) I dont see a way to select an individual class.

Edit: i had a different title and then changed it, that is why the title is messed up

I began learning from MOOCs (specifically: 1,2) which are primarily video lectures with assignments and tests.

I found it especially useful at that stage, when you really have no clue, to see examples worked through and have an actual human explain fundamentals and say things like: "you may be surprised by that result, but don't worry, it's because....". Then as you start to build the vocabulary and know how to express what it is you actually want to achieve, you become more independent.

I still go to youtube now and then. Someone explaining as they write the code adds another dimension of understanding, and you can pause - try yourself - rewind.

I use https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

It’s what I used to teach my partner programming. I think the teacher is good and assumes nothing, so beginners don’t get lost. It uses a free textbook too that you can just run thru if you find him slow

I personally started the Python for Everyone course on Coursera done by University of Michigan and so far its been amazing. It does cost about $50 a month on Coursera but for me its been well worth it. Its a group of 5 courses each course spread into 7 weeks. So far I've been doing around a week a day but you could go at whatever pace you want. Started at the basic print('hello world') now doing webscraping and just starting to work with API's in course 3 weeks 5-6. If you have any more questions feel free to reach out through a DM or If you want a study partner I am EST timezone would be more than willing to start a new course and go through it. Good luck on your learning journey.

Hi!

Can't give you any tips on learning R. I can give you tips on how I learned Python.

-I used Team Treehouse (It's a 7 day free trial before you have to pay, but if you're hesitant on paying you can always just use Throwaway emails and cancel straightaway) - It has lectures and interactive coding challenges.

-Python for Everybody is a great course, and got me into Python. (Just audit the courses individually)

- For SQL - https://sqlbolt.com/ - I've been using this to brush up on SQL. It's pretty good and beginner friendly.

​

I can't stress this enough, but the best way you can learn and show off that to your future employer is to actually write something. Do interactive challenges, and put stuff on your Github. (If you don't have one just make one.)

​

Good luck! :)

> What should I start learning on my own...

Try out an online programming class - if you’re just starting out, I think the structure of a class would help you get the basics down and see the types of problems Software Engineers work on daily.

I don’t think it matters a whole lot what language you start with for self learning, but sticking to something popular like Javascript, Java, or Python might be a good idea.

I haven’t taken this series of courses myself but it looks like a good place to start, and is free to audit (starts next week): https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

Personally, I think codeacdemy a horrible option.
if you wanted better options:
( i havnt personally read it) butpeople in the sub rave about the book "automate the boring stuff with python"

theres also the very popular course python for everybody

The reason I dislike codeacademy or similar type sites, is that you lose site of the overall picture. you might be given a very specific problem. with some code already provided for you.
its often very difficult for people to apply any knowledge from codeacademy anywhere else.

you should be learning how to create a python file, how to run a python file, with zero code provided. as in you make it from scratch. sure, they may start out as simple programs, but you don't lose sight of the larger picture. you can experiment. change a couple lines in your code, to see what happens.

but ive seen people who spend weeks on codeacademy hit full brainfreeze the moment they have to do even the simplest thing in a file from scratch. but more than that, many of the basic topics, its sometimes not so clear what is truly being taught when its in the one drill at a time format.
the resources i mentioned, will be far better.

I agree with the other commenters here than beginner certification is neither really a thing nor particularly meaningful. I disagree with them though, at least I think, in that it's still worth pursuing something certificate-ish if your child wants one and you as a parent think it will serve as a reward for their hard work and motivate them to keep learning.

The that end, since there are no "officially" recognized certificates for Python like a driver's license or a scuba certification, why not something like a Coursera course? For < $100, you could purchase access to courses that your child could complete, learning along the way, and at the end they get a certificate that you can print out and/or publicize on their social media accounts. Especially for a beginner in search of some objective validation, that might be the best option.

If interested, I can vouch for this specialization (Coursera-speak for "bundle of highly related courses"), which is perfect for beginners and also offers a broad overview of some of the many things that Python can be used for.

You can use the API with different programming languages. So it's up to you which one you'd like to start with. I suggest Python to beginners as it's generally the easiest to pick up. Check out Coursera and the Python for Everybody Specialization. I think it's a great intro to Python without going off on a specific topic like data analysis or web development.

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python#courses

Evo ti kurs za pocetnike u python-u ako te zanima, imas "audit" opciju da samo slusas kurs, bez zadataka. Imas 5 kurseva gde je svaki povezan sa prethodnim.

Ako hoces zadatke da radis, imas na sajtu tog profesora, py4e.com pa tu mozes da vezbas lekciju na kojoj si trenutno.

Srecno.

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

For coding, I would recommend python for everyone specialization offered by the University of Michigan. It is a good introductory course, designed for beginners.

If this is the course you are referring to then from what I can tell of the curriculum, it is meant to simply scratch the surface of what you can do with Python. In short, beginner basics.

To answer some of your questions:

• Focus on your degree first and treat this online course as a hobby.
• Not necessarily portfolio material but you can start some small-scale projects (and then expand from there). That would be the best way to learn.
• Once you get grasp of basics, you can just skip these courses thing and simply just head to official documentations.
• You don't have to worry about other languages for now.
• Not sure what you mean by "game/social media" companies as game (development?) and social media (marketing?) are two unrelated fields. Given your course, you'll probably opt into data analysis in the long run. You don't have to worry about it now.

I recommend the Python For Everyone course on Coursera. It’s free if you don’t care about being graded or certificates. Great introductory series that also will help you take further beginning classes if you head that route.

Py4e

PS: ignore the start date and deadlines. They don’t matter.

Yo aprendí la magia de Python con el gran Dr Chuck Severance desde Coursera. Es de pago pero podés pedir ayuda por cada módulo y sale gratarola. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

>I am currently finishing up MIT - Python for Everybody

FYI that course is run by University of Michigan, not Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Too many courses, confusing terminology! Where to begin with NLP?!

Problem

I want to learn Machine Learning, specifically NLP (Natural Language Processing) for a news analysis project I am working on.

For a person with intermediate programming knowledge and basic knowledge of working with databases, what would be the correct beginning point? There are so many courses available online on different platforms that it's confusing to identify where I should begin.

Existing Skill

I learned programming through the Python specialization on Coursera which taught me about data structures, extracting data from the web, analyzing it and visualizing it. The course established a pretty strong programming foundation but left much to desire when it came to analysis... There was little to nothing about statistics, and from what I've come to know till now Machine Learning requires one to have solid basics in Statistics.

To give you a more granular idea of my current skill level, here's the paper I wrote for my capstone project: https://paper.dropbox.com/doc/News-Analysis-Methodology-fXyowV7zSRAxKA70kxAwP

Options

I am currently looking at Udacity to further my skill but I am getting confused by their different courses on Data Science, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence. There appears to be so much overlap in these courses that it's hard for me to decide what exactly I need.

I don't want to waste time going down the wrong path.

I would recommend starting from scratch on your own before you invest in a bootcamp for two main reasons. First, the bootcamps that require prep on your own generally have a stronger cohort of students and will get you farther into the content, produce better projects, and have better job placements. Second, you should be really certain you want to pursue a career before investing in a $10-20K bootcamp. There's a lot you can learn on your own for free to help you decide if this is a career you have an aptitude for and would enjoy.

There are MOOCs, books, and websites that can help you learn. Or go to r/learnprogramming for more suggestions/advice.

I'm starting with Python for Everybody Specialization And It is great.

I just started this one https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

These certificates are usually not worth anything to employers. The best thing to do if you do not have a degree is create projects and put them on github or get some experience (maybe through doing some work for people online for free, internships or apprenticeships)

If you really want a free certificate though try some coursera courses like https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

Here's a direct URL, saving you from having to jump through hoops, clicking through LinkSynergy spam BS

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

This is affiliate spam. Nevertheless, maybe the courses are good, so here is the direct link if you are interested:

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

Remember you can report for spam! Only takes a couple clicks!

Coursera. Avoid YouTube until you have some experience and able to understand the quality of teaching, 90% of courses there are crap.

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

Coursera's Python for Everybody Specialization. It is an amazing course taught by an amazing teacher. I learned there and when I quit python for about an year and I went back I remembered basically everything the course taught me. It just is a really good starting point to go from beginner to proficient.

Take the Python for Everyone course on Coursera. Its free (they also have a paid teir which I enjoy). It covers the essentials and core programming concepts you need.

I know nearly nothing about programming, but I have been trying to solve some of my own data problems for a project I'm working on.

At first I tried using R and R Studio, which I found an easier entry point than figuring out what the hell a coding environment is, etc like you have to do with Python and Pandas.

To just get started, I would try installing R and RStudio and then watch a YouTube video on how to read a CSV (one line of code).

If you want to get into Python i recommend the "Python for Everyone" course on Coursera

It takes a little commitment, but I found the professor's style incredibly helpful for complete noobs such as myself

You can sign up for Coursera for $50 or $60 per month, I can’t remember which. So it won’t be a flat price for the course.

https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python

İt is not hard to learn basics of any programming language. İf your English is good İ recommend you getting through one of the coursera python courses first. Then you can decide which field you are interested in. (For example İ did this )

C++ is used for game development, industrial applications etc. where performance is critical and it requires a lot of dedication. Pytnon on the other hand can get you to a lot of places fast at the expense of performance including web development, most of the backend applications, data science etc. But still with each field you have to learn something other than one programming language.

While it might not cover some subject matter in detail the first course I did in python was https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python? The part I really loved about the course was that I could go back in places I was stuck and since I paid for the course($65 at the time) I got to chat with a course advisor when I couldn't figure out the answer. Another option is to get a free one month of LinkedIn subscription they took over the Lydia.com site and offer a lot of courses. Last yet not least stackoverflow.com has chatrooms for free where I found the python community very pleasant and helpful. If you go this route I found that having a very direct question helpful and also having my code that I am stuck on pasted to pastiebin.com so I can offer the link to it in the question. Keep at it, as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day"

You have plenty of time!

&#x200B;

Talk to the professor(s) actually teaching intro to ML and intro to NLP and see if you can take some of those things as corequisites instead of prerequisites. You can also start right now doing some MOOCs. Coursera, for example, has some extremely accessible introductory courses that will greatly supplement the coursework you may or may not be able to do at your university.

&#x200B;

Two years is an absolute ton of time to explore NLP and figure out if it's something you want to make a career out of. Don't worry about it being a time crunch.

Python learning journey. Is this overkill?

I've decided to start learning python hoping to get out of web development hell.

The past few days I've been curating a list of learning material through a combination of online courses, books and videos. This is my study plan (in order)

1. Interactive Lessons

• codecademy
• sololearn
• codeschool
• rithm school

2. Online Courses

• Python For Everybody w/ Python For Informatics textbook
• Automate The Boring Stuff w/book

3. Books

• Dive Into Python 3
• Python 101 or Think Python (which one is better?)

Hopefully after completing all this, I should have my python fundamentals down pat. Someone tell me this is overkill. Also if anyone wants to come along with me on this magical journey, let me know.

I really liked this courses. https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python