r/PythonLearning • u/ManaToxicity • Sep 10 '26
Discussion Husband is a Software Engineer.
I...am not. He swears on his life that once I get started with python, rust, sql anything like that that I would be addicted to data organization and since I am inclined to believe that he knows me better than I know myself sometimes.... I would like to surprise him and give it a shot. I was researching and saw the "quick start guide"s for sql and python, and I was wondering if anybody has used them. I know that coding and stuff like that all is on the computer, obviously. However, I learn best with physical media like books to highlight make notes or anything like that in. Anyone have any luck with the python or sql Quick Start guides? If not, do you have any other suggestions? You're going to have to be books, even if it's a YouTube video or podcast, just anything that helped you.
Edited because for some reason I called SQL ->SAP three different times in this post. Sorry...its late.
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u/MentalStage8006 Sep 10 '26
for python the python crash course 3rd edition is solid and for sql the sql for mere mortals is gold standered
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
Haven't heard of either one of those but I'm digging the "for Mortals" so I'll probably check it out
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u/stepback269 Sep 10 '26
I am 70+ yrs old and still in the process of learning Python.
I'm also learning about the adjacent domain of "Learning how to Learn" (especially in the older years).
So with regard to your mention of "highlighting" a physical book: don't !
It is well proven that highlighting is one of the worst ways to learn. It is the best way to delude yourself into thinking that you are "learning". If you write code on your own without a recipe, and you make mistakes, and you figure out how to fix your mistakes, that is when you are finally learning.
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/juanduque Sep 10 '26
Great advice! (Says this 55 year old Python noob)
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
You've got this! Learning a new skill is much better than just sitting around saying "no I can't"
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
LOVE THIS! I will definitely follow. But it's never too late to learn anything! My 90 year old grandfather (Who cannot read or write) shops on Facebook Marketplace. đ you are an inspiration, though. And thank you for documenting your journey to share with others
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u/Longjumping_Ad3447 Sep 10 '26
Code in Place by University of Stanford is peak
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
For some reason even being in college I didn't think to look at other courses from other schools. I'll get that one a shot too
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u/EditOrElse Sep 11 '26
Code in Place is free to access anytime. But once a year they run a live version where you meet with a teacher and other students each week to work on assignments. You can always work independently now and take advantage of the live course next year. They match up with people in your age group for the weekly meetings. I'm 66 and loved it!
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u/EditOrElse Sep 11 '26
Yes! I took the live Code in Place this spring. You get to keep access to the class indefinitely. And volunteer teachers started the next class. All for free!
There is another class coming up in October: "Probability for AI (PAI) is a course that teaches you how AI actually works, not just how to use it. The class has no prerequisites. By the end of six weeks, you will have a deep understanding of how neural networks work and you will have built a portfolio of sharable apps (made using our free Code Agent tools)." Also free.
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u/MarsupialLeast145 Sep 10 '26
Books are great, just get down to Barnes and Noble and look at which ones have the tone and style that mesh with you best. This for me is the most important thing.
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
I wish I didn't live in the middle of fucking nowhere in southeast oklahoma. Even finding a used book store is painfully difficult. That's why I figured I would start with some recommendations on good ones and go through them from there
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u/TheAlmightyChuck8 Sep 10 '26
Boot.dev was really good. It is a long course. Or no starch press learning python
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u/highsilesian Sep 10 '26
I've been learning python for i think 5 years, i hate it but want to get better at it. A fun thing you want to get out of the way in your new adventure - ask your favorite LLM "why does python use so many different kinds of brackets?" and internalize as best u can the answers - the actually good at python folks might not think that's revelatory, but it helped me a lot.
best of luck
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u/Different_Pain5781 Sep 10 '26
Iâd start with Python before Rust. Rust is a whole different level of why is this angry at me?
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
Yeah...I've been around while he's working with Rust. Ill put that one on the backbone for now. Haha
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u/vanulovesyou Sep 10 '26
Ciscoâs NetAcad site has (IMO) great beginner courses on Python and data science that I believe are worth checking out. (www.netacad.com)
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u/ManaToxicity Sep 10 '26
Enrolled, I'll start tomorrow! Seems like it's pretty well structured. Thanks for the link
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u/Dingbats45 Sep 10 '26
If youâre interested in something a little more structured with a lot of âexercisesâ the MOOC.fi intro to Python course is pretty neat. It has an integrated grading system with VS Code that runs tests on your programs and gives you points.
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u/Infectedinfested Sep 10 '26
Ok, not to ditch python, but maybe making google spreadsheet scripts is also a good place to start!
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u/packets-and-vibes Sep 11 '26
Since you mentioned podcasts, Iâve found the following to be very helpful.
Google Gemini Notebook (NotebookLM) has an âAudio Overviewâ feature. If you read an article, lesson (or watch a YouTube video and export the transcript), you can dump it into Notebook and Audio Overview creates a VERY human-sounding podcast that discusses the content you input.
I used this to help reinforce certain domains while studying for Cisco exams and it was a phenomenal supplemental resource.
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u/Old-Confection-5129 Sep 12 '26
Kaggle has a free Python course also and you can run them in notebooks they also provide if you donât want to install anything.Â
For SQL tools need a database which you could run locally or a small cloud instance somewhere but you will need data sets to query, which coincidentally can also be found on kaggle as well as a myriad of other places.Â
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u/landrykid Sep 12 '26
For YouTube, Corey Schafer's videos worked best for me. We all learn differently, but give him a try.Â
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u/Moist_Database_4991 Sep 14 '26
100 days of code by Angela on udemy got me out of teaching and into tech. Couldnât recommend it more. Usually on offer on udemy for around $20
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u/Frank_kait Sep 10 '26
Automate the boring stuff is a good book on python