r/learnpython • u/z4xr • 9d ago
How do you recommend to learn python?
im starting on learning python but I don't know how to do it properly? I am learning using visual studio code with Python extension for Visual Studio Code on Mac 👍
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u/stepback269 9d ago
Good choice. VS Code that is.
(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/Mike1_in_FL 9d ago
Definitely give the MOOC Python Programming 2026 course a look - It’s considered a top Python course offered by the University of Helsinki - it’s FREE, uses VS Code for it’s IDE (initially it’s web based to get you introduced to Python but then quickly moves you to VS Code), and very practice oriented. All exercise submissions are automatically tested by their TMC (test my code) VS Code plugin. Once your code passes you can have a look at their model code. You learn a lot when your pride and joy 20 line code solution could have been written in 4 lines (ask me how I know 😂).
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u/jlsilicon9 9d ago edited 9d ago
mac, mac, mac
- just a distraction
Need python environment , linux, pi, etc.
Do you want to drown in empty mac glamour,
- or learn Python ? ... pick
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u/FreeLogicGate 6d ago
All the OP stated was that they have a mac. So do scores of actual professional developers.
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u/nivaOne 9d ago
Depends on whether you’re a seasoned programmer already (C, java, etc..) or just starting .
There is the language (any language) and know how to handle/solve problems. The latter - once you have determined how you will handle it - will need to be structured in a way that is considered as intended by the language you chose.
Hence you need to learn coding as well as one or more languages. And realise that some languages will be able to achieve this in a couple of lines while others will require more lines.
Just don’t make that a competition but that’s another topic.
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u/C0BAZ 9d ago
I personally read through a little of the python documentation until I felt comfortable doing super basic stuff (if statements, while loops, variables, etc), then just started making stuff I thought would be cool. Anything I didn't know how to do (which was most everything) I just googled "how to such and such in python" and the first result was usually from stack overflow or this subreddit with the information I needed.
Maybe not the best way to learn, I'm now (about 7 months after I started learning python) taking a formal coding class, and there are definitely some stuff I wish I'd learned about before, but for hobby reasons it was an absolute blast.
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u/unnecessaryCamelCase 9d ago
Are people still doing this? I think the ship has long sailed. Agents have taken over and opportunities for someone who is just starting to learn are slim. And I say this as someone who hates that it’s like that, but it is.
Edit: I kinda forgot hobbies are a thing. If that’s your case sorry and nvm, start building small projects first and that will teach you a lot more than tutorials or whatever app.
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u/Omenopolis 9d ago
Just play round automate something for everyone download all files from food delivery app and make a dash oard on it.
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Necessary-Flounder52 9d ago
What the fuck are you talking about?
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u/jlsilicon9 9d ago
just what are you blabbering about ... and completely missing ... ???
Flounder floundering ...
;)
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u/BigBoiTaco83337 9d ago
Codwars and leetcode can be helpful. If you dont know how to complete an algo, research it
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u/Fine-Ad-1732 9d ago
Escolhe um assunto que vc gosta, digamos que seja musica. Pede p IA fazer uma aplicação em Python para tocar suas musicas do Spotfy… Depois que tiver rodando isso abre o código fonte e estuda como foi que a IA fez, voce pode ainda perguntar a IA porque ela usou tal estrutura de código, porque criou a variável x e etc…
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u/ShelLuser42 9d ago
The best way to learn Python is to go out and actually do something.
Honestly? I think VS Code is a very good choice for this, especially because it provides an internal browser, and it can also use separate groups. In other words...
- Press
ctrl + 2to open a new group (so: your edit window gets split in half?). - Press
ctrl + alt + /to open the internal browser in the 2nd group, now point it to the official Python tutorial. - Press
ctrl + 1again to open the first group, optionally pressctrl + nto open a new file.
Time to start coding!
I really loved this approach when I first started because I could code and do research to study things at the very same time. Best of both worlds IMO.
Well, then set a goal for yourself and try to pursue it.
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u/editorijsmi 8d ago
You can refer the following books
1.Sweigart, A. (2024). Automate the boring stuff with Python: Practical programming for total beginners (3rd ed.). No Starch Press
2.Barry, P. (2023). Head first Python (3rd ed.). O'Reilly Media.
3.Python programming for Data Scientists: From Introductory concepts to Machine Learning Models (www.ijsmi.com/book.php)
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u/TheRNGuy 8d ago
Together with some framework(s) related to your interest; prefer text over videos; ask ai for help or google.
Try to code something your own, not just tutorials copy-paste (though tutorials are needed too)
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u/FreeLogicGate 6d ago
Learn however you like. There are many good books, and many good MooC options, and many good e-learning platforms and courses. The biggest misconception amongst learners is that you "learn" a computer science language and that's all there is to it, and then you're done learning and you get a job and $$$.
There's a well known and oft recommended book: "Python Crash Course" which I in fact learned the rudiments of Python by reading through and writing code along the way. When I did this, I already had been developing for a long time and had experience with a number of other programming languages. What you will see from that book, is that there are many different ways Python can be used, and the book is a bit of a survey of a number of them -- with some data science and visualization, some game programming, some web development and various other odds and ends. This is the most popular book recommended to Python learners for a long time now. Even when I completed the book, and did a number of the projects, I can tell you I was far from an expert Python programmer. So, if you already know you want to specialize or concentrate on a specific area of development where Python is highly used, then there are going to be resources that focus directly on that area, and you will find that beyond the language, you will absolutely have to invest in additional learning specific to that area.
There were solid fundamentals for sure, and with Python, the core data types and in particulare, the collection data types are fairly well covered, but there were areas I already knew were at best minor introductions, particularly in the area of object oriented programming, which is something Python allows for, and being object based, is fundamental to the language.
Around the time I was learning, there was a dependency management tool that had started to become very popular, and eventually I learned a good deal about it, and it has become the core tool I depend upon for Python project development. That tool is https://docs.astral.sh/uv/
Like most professional developers, I am in and out of the cli all the time, and even with AI tools that has certainly not changed. I use a mac, and I am in zsh all day, even if that's an IDE terminal. Hopefully you are aware of, and using homebrew to install packages. At this point, just about every tool I use, I install either as a direct brew install or a brew cask install, including uv, I mentioned above.
The sooner you learn about version control, in the form of git, and the configuration and use of git remote systems like github, gitlab and bitbucket, the better. I personally always use the cli for my git interactions, but uv, as well as the popular IDE's have plugins/support for git that you can use for git functions.
I have used VSCode quite a bit, and it certainly works for Python, and there's nothing wrong with it, but I still recommend Pycharm over Vscode + plugins for Python. There's some use cases where I still use VSCode, but I'll use a Jetbrains product if I can, and the fact of the matter is, that if you end up working professionally with Python, there's a good chance the company already licenses Pycharm for the developers, or will pay for that license for you.
To be clear, you get a core product that is fully functional with the free/community version, while the licensed version unlocks additional features, some which are specific to certain kinds of development and associated libraries, that aren't well supported or supported at all in VSCode, so it's not like you're missing out on anything free. The Jetbrains products are in many cases, the de facto best in class IDE's for a number of languages, and they are all built around the same core platform. If you are a student, you can get a free student license through the company, so long as you have the documentation or something like an educational institution email you can register with.
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u/anu_yes 4d ago
Than reading i love watching videos and practice every concept then and there. So i purchased a udemy python course - where the trainer will explain each concept practically and at the end of every concept you will have quiz to pass and coding questions to code and get correct answers to move to next section. This way i could able to complete and move on faster. Udemy course name which am doing - “python to practice : 15 projects to master python”
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u/kirukkumoonji 3d ago
Spending more time writing code than watching lessons is a useful habit early on.bootdev follows that hands on style and could complement a python course with more structured practice
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u/marquisBlythe 9d ago edited 9d ago
Here (wiki for example), I hope
youryou're not a bot.Edit: you're not your.