By A Beginner's Guide and Common Mistake for Learning Python
I have spent much time when I was undecided about learning programming. I started a bit late. I made many types of mistakes in the beginning, and if I share those mistakes, you can easily begin without those mistakes.
First of all, when I started programming, I had very little understanding of computer fundamentals or basic computers, making me suffer greatly. As a result, I could remember only a small part of what I learned, and the rest I forgot or could not commit to memory.
The whole time was boring. Sometimes, I got bored and opened another tab, watched another video, or listened to music, consoling myself to relax a bit and start again. But in the meantime, I didn’t realize when the time would turn into late night, and by then, I would prepare for sleep with tired eyes. This happened almost every day, and it seemed like a long time ago, but my programming journey was not progressing at all.
I used to get frustrated day by day, thinking that it was very difficult, and I wouldn’t be able to learn it.
Consistency :
Consistency is the first thing you need to learn anything. If you don’t have concentration, you can’t progress, and if you want to learn something, you can’t focus on the other side until it succeeds. Another important thing, which may seem strange but is true in my case, is that if I take too much time to learn something, the interest in learning decreases, and I lose interest. If too little time is spent learning a little, frustration works inside me. But if I spend a long time learning a lot, confidence returns, and the interest comes out.
Following too many resources:
The second mistake I made was following too many resources at once. Maybe I started learning the Python programming language and learned data types, functions, loops, etc., from some tutorial video. Then, I focused on SQL Database for a while, then started Python again by watching some other tutorial video, and then everything seemed new. It seemed like I had never seen those things before. That’s why I didn’t learn SQL, and learning Python didn’t progress as well.
In fact, whatever programming language you learn, you need to be consistent and serious and have a time schedule, like dividing small goals and deciding in your mind how many days you want to learn it. Practice requirements are very basic. A problem should be solved repeatedly to develop a clear understanding of functions, variables, data types, syntax, and when to use them. Look at the code to understand which one is used and why.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you should have a clear idea about why you are learning programming and what your goal is. Knowing your objective will make the roadmap easier for you; then, you will understand which programming language you should learn and which topics to cover. The learning journey is much easier when the goals are specific.
If you want to learn the Python programming language, you can follow these resources:
Online Courses
- Coursera
- Python for Everybody Specialization by the University of Michigan
- Python Data Structures by the University of Michigan
- edX
- Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python by MIT
- Python Basics for Data Science by IBM
- Udemy
- Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from Zero to Hero in Python 3 by Jose Portilla
- Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp by Jose Portilla
- Codecademy
- Learn Python 3: Interactive course for beginners
- Data Science Path: Python-based data science curriculum
Books
- “Automate the Boring Stuff with Python” by Al Sweigart
- Great for beginners, focuses on practical projects.
- “Python Crash Course” by Eric Matthes
- A fast-paced introduction to Python, ideal for beginners.
- “Learning Python” by Mark Lutz
- Comprehensive guide covering both basic and advanced topics.
- “Python for Data Analysis” by Wes McKinney
- Focuses on data analysis and data science applications.
Documentation and Tutorials
- Official Python Documentation
- Python.org: Comprehensive and authoritative source for Python syntax and libraries.
- Real Python
- RealPython.com: Tutorials and articles on a wide range of Python topics.
- W3Schools
- W3Schools Python Tutorial: Beginner-friendly tutorials and exercises.
Interactive Platforms
- LeetCode
- LeetCode Python Exercises: Coding problems to practice Python skills.
- HackerRank
- HackerRank Python Practice: Python challenges and competitions.
- Kaggle
- Kaggle Learn Python: Courses and competitions with real datasets.
YouTube Channels
- Corey Schafer
- Comprehensive tutorials covering Python basics to advanced topics.
- Sentdex
- Tutorials on Python, machine learning, and data analysis.
- Programming with Mosh
- Beginner-friendly Python tutorials and projects.
Practice Projects
- Project Euler
- Project Euler: Mathematical and computational problems.
- PyBites
- PyBites Code Challenges: Daily coding challenges and exercises.
- GitHub
- Explore repositories with Python projects to study and contribute to.
Communities and Forums
- Stack Overflow
- Python Questions on Stack Overflow: Ask questions and find solutions.
- Reddit
- r/learnpython: Community for Python learners to share knowledge and resources.
- Python Discord
- Python Discord: Join the Python community for discussions and help.
