
Resources to Learn Python in 2020 - amymhaddad
https://amymhaddad.com/the-best-resources-to-learn-python-in-2020
======
snvzz
Not a mention of the official tutorial[0]. Classic omission mistake.

[0]:
[https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/)

~~~
benatkin
Or the author may have been aware of it, but decided not to include it.

The Python tutorial teaches a good bit of the language, but it doesn't teach
how to use it. You're on your own for figuring out good problems to solve to
practice using it. It's more of a less thorough but less dry companion to the
Language Reference and the Library Reference.

------
didymospl
I don't know (yet) about any of the resources mentioned in this post but let
me share my experience. Last year I came back to Python after several years
spent mostly in JVM land and I was looking for some refresher so when I saw
Python book bundle on Humble Bundle I didn't hesitate for a moment. While all
books were solid, one really stood out. Fluent Python[0] is one of the best
intermediate/advanced level books on any programming language I've ever read.
It's like an average advanced course, Effective Java and JavaScript: The Good
Parts blended together. Bonus points for numerous references to other
languages(How is Python different from X?) and other technical digressions. I
couldn't recommend it more if you, like me, wrote some Python before but have
the feeling you never really understood its essence.

[0]:
[http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920032519.do](http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920032519.do)

------
mattst88
I work professionally in C/C++ and the instances I needed to use Python I
always felt like I was missing the core understanding of the language and was
writing C in a different syntax.

I found James Powell's PyData 2017 talk "So you want to be a Python expert?"
([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKPlPJyQrt4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKPlPJyQrt4))
to be incredible at helping me to gain that core understanding of the
language. It's legitimately the best technical talk I think I've seen and I
can't recommend it highly enough.

~~~
marios
I'd recommend any Python talk by Raymond Hettinger (Python core developer).
The content is top notch, and he is also very good at delivering it.

------
madhadron
Does anyone else feel like there's a disconnect in resources like these, a
confounding of the syntax of a language and the fundamental skills? I recently
had a student I'm tutoring go look up the syntax of for loops, if statements,
and function definition in four imperative languages just to get the idea that
there's a deeper structure and the language is just details you have to deal
with. But I don't see that in lists of resources about learning languages for
beginners.

~~~
orev
Wouldn’t you say that understanding the deeper structure would be learning
_programming_ , while learning the syntax is for the _language_. Both are
useful and needed, but they have different goals.

~~~
madhadron
That's fair. Maybe it's that I see very few resources on learning programming.

------
throwawaysea
What are good, credible courses that come with a certification (that can
signal a certain level of understanding and economic value)?

~~~
mxschumacher
MITx's 6.00.1x on edx is a low cost certificate for beginners and people
without a cs degres.

Generally, certificates can even have negative value in a CV, really depends
on the technology and where you want to apply

Actual results, e.g. something you've built or an open source contribution
you've made beats most certificates

~~~
throwawaysea
I'm asking for a friend who is looking to pivot careers into CS, or at least
bolster their resume in their current field by adding programming to the mix.
They're a long way from having an open source portfolio, but want to be able
to signal some baseline value on their resume, the same way a degree does.
Online courses/certifications seem like they could be that signal, without the
immense time demand and expenses of going back to college.

Are there any universities' whose online certifications are taken seriously?

