Where to go from here¶

Learning Python¶

Hopefully this tutorial has tought you just enough python to get you on your feet. However, there is much more that you can learn! Even professional programmers will always be trying to learn more about their language and how to code excellently with it.

My courses¶

I usually run an Intermediate Python course in Semester 2, among others. Please look out for the announcement toward the end of the year.

Books and Tutorials¶

If you like learning from a book, there are heaps of good ones, and even many that can be read freely on the web!

  • OpenTechSchool Python Portal This tutorial is based on materials by OpenTechSchool, check out the rest of their tutorials, and look out for future workshops!

  • O’Reilly publishes hundreds of books and ebooks, on Python and many other technologies.

  • Invent with Python takes a practical approach, with three different ebooks that can be read online for free.

  • Dive into Python 3 is another great book available online for free!

  • Last but not least, python.org has its own tutorial! . This is a little dense and is perhaps best tackled once you have understood the basics.

Online learning courses¶

There are many courses on programming around!

Specific to the University:

  • LinkedIn Learning - A carefully curated collection of video courses. This usually requires a paid account to access, but we have free access via the University—go to “Sign In” and give your University email address.

Some freely available ones:

  • Edx - with top universities like Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Berkley giving out interactive courses for free, it’s hard to turn this down. You’ll have to look for ones coming up soon!

  • Coursera is very similar to Edx, with even more courses, and some that can be taken at any time.

  • CodeAcademy - luckily this one has a python-specific course that can be taken at any time, and many other practical language courses.

What to do with Python¶

Well, that’s a tough one! See, practically anything you can think of involving some electronics - from your TV remote, to a smartphone, to the backend of a popular web service, to the scheduling of airport landings, to the software you use everyday - it all involves some programming somewhere!

And not only is it a big field practically, but also technically and academically. As soon as you have a basic understanding of a general language like python, you can start working on all manner of subjects: web frontends, web backend services, data analysis and statistics, Artificial Intelligence, GUI design, robotics, software development of all kinds, online transactions, automation of everything, and many more.

We wouldn’t blame if that all sounds daunting, so here’s some practical advice, that takes advantage of how wide a field “programming” is:

Apply your new skills to whatever you’re passionate about.

Whether that’s starting a new business, helping you do some task involving data faster, putting up an online site, calculating advantages in a game you play, creating art and music, or anything else, finding out how to use programming to help with whatever floats your boat will make learning much more exciting and relevant. Feel free to ask someone more experienced if you have no idea where to start, but always mention what makes you tick!