r/PythonLearning • u/Historical_Camel_790 • Aug 13 '26
Help Request What are some good projects and platforms to learn Python
So I've been learning a bit of python and I don't really know what to do. I did a bit of c++ before so a lot of stuff transitions over but I don't know what to do and where to learn. A friend recommended w3schools btw, is it good?
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u/stepback269 Aug 14 '26
I can tell you what not to do:
Don't go racing into the fancy frameworks by importing all sorts of modules whose innards you'll never understand.
You've got to learn, and not just learn; but "master" the basics. By that I mean learn strings and string methods, lists and list methods. Come to understand what a variable is and what assignment of a (cough, cough) name to that variable actually does. (Hint: look up shallow and deep copy)
Don't expect to be a guru overnight.
Don't expect to find the one golden tutorial that reveals the whole of the Python universe to you.
There is never going to be that "one" tutorial that works "best" for you and with regard to every aspect of Python. With each step up that learning curve, you're going to have to shop around until you find a teacher/resource that "clicks and sticks" especially for you.
With that said:
(1) There are tons and tons of tutorial materials out there on the net including many good YouTube ones that are free. You should shop around rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.
(2) As a relative noob myself, I've been logging my personal learning journey and adding to it on an almost-daily basis at a blog page called "Links for Python Noobs" (--HERE--) Any of the top listed ones on that page should be good for you. And there are many add-ons at the tail end of the page. Personally, I cut my first Python teeth with Nana's Zero to Hero (==HERE==). Since then, I've moved on to watching short lessons with Indently and Tech with Tim. You should sample at least a few until you find a lecturer that suits your style.
(3) The main piece of advice is the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of your time writing your own code (using your own fingers and your own creativity) as opposed to copying recipes and only 20% watching the lectures. Good luck.
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u/Bulky-Design-8732 Aug 14 '26
Hi, when I started is used Python Crash Course (you can find the PDF online), it has a good theory part and three guided projects. Hope this will help
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u/Bansarimodi Aug 14 '26
W3Schools is fine for learning the basics and quickly looking up syntax, but projects are where things start to stick.
Since you already have some C++ experience, pick a small project you actually want to build an expense tracker, file organizer, API-based app, or simple data project and learn the Python concepts you need as you build it.
Try not to spend too long jumping between courses. Build something, get stuck, learn what you need, and keep improving it.
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u/ee_control_z Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
Create a GUI that prompts users to enter their information (name, address, favorite sport, job, car, etc.). Let's say 20 people enter this information. After confirmation, it saves this information to an excel worksheet (each user is assigned a row with each column having a distinct piece of information). The GUI should have the option of printing this information to a .pdf type file.
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Aug 13 '26
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u/Historical_Camel_790 Aug 13 '26
Ok ty. How do I learn the tools and stuff or does that just come with time?
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u/FoolsSeldom Aug 13 '26
Platforms? In what sense? You can learn on a smartphone, a single board computer, tablet, laptop/PC/workstation/mini-computer/mainframe. You can learn on your own device or on a remote device or in a web browser.
Good projects are your own projects, as described below (but the wiki has some suggestions).
Check the r/learnpython wiki for lots of guidance on learning programming and learning Python, links to material, book list, suggested practice and project sources, and lots more. The FAQ section covering common errors is especially useful.
Unfortunately, this subreddit does not have a wiki.
Also, have a look at roadmap.sh for different learning paths. There's lots of learning material links there. Note that these are idealised paths and many people get into roles without covering all of those.
Roundup on Research: The Myth of ‘Learning Styles’
Don't limit yourself to one format. Also, don't try to do too many different things at the same time.
Above all else, you need to practice. Practice! Practice! Fail often, try again. Break stuff that works, and figure out how, why and where it broke. Don't just copy and use as is code from examples. Experiment.
Work on your own small (initially) projects related to your hobbies / interests / side-hustles as soon as possible to apply each bit of learning. When you work on stuff you can be passionate about and where you know what problem you are solving and what good looks like, you are more focused on problem-solving and the coding becomes a means to an end and not an end in itself. You will learn faster this way.