Easiest Way To Learn To Code in Python | Plus Free Resources To Master The Language

Learning to program in Python has become a skill many people currently desire because the need to have programming skills in your portfolio has never been more important than now. Many employers are making the knowledge of programming almost a must-have-skill, so why not learn one language and the easier one for that matter, Python.

In this article, we are going to explore the easiest ways to learn python and I will also share the resources that will help you master the language faster. Before we get started, click here to subscribe to get notified when I publish new articles like this. Read to the end to hear about my funny whiteboard coding interview experience.

Why Do You Need To Learn Python?

Why Python? According to Stack Overflow, Python is the most wanted programming language which means that developers who use other languages actually want to learn it.

Python can be used for web development, task automation, data analysis, web scraping, machine learning (part of artificial intelligence), scripting, and so on. It was written over 4 decades ago in the form of a readable human language where you don’t have to worry much about the syntax format. Many software developers and companies love using python because it is;

• Easy to understand
• Compatible across many platforms
• Open-source (free)
• Lots of libraries created by other developers in the Python community to help reduce the lines of code you need to write for a given task.

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Now, you have chosen to learn to programme in python. Kudos for taking the bold step. One difficult part about learning to code is finding the right resources that will give you a solid foundation for the language. Once you get this step wrong, you will start touring the path of frustration and may give up along the line because you are not getting what you expected. To get started with the right step, I have outlined the free and paid resources you need to teach yourself Python without having to go to a traditional school where you would pay heavily to learn this program. It will be worth your efforts now to identify what problem you want to solve with your programming skills.

1. Resources For Learning Python For Beginner Programmers

If you have never written a line of code in your life, here are the first courses to take to understand how to code.

1. Start with Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python. This course is free and taught by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This course will help you understand the intricacies of programming, what it is all about and how you can use it to solve real-world problems.

2. DataCamp is another great platform to learn Python for beginners.
Introduction to Python. In this course, you will master the basics of data analysis in Python. Expand your skillset by learning scientific computing with numpy. This python course prepares you for data science courses.

2. Resources For Taking Your Python Programming Skills From Basic To Advanced Level

To increase your confidence and knowledge of Python by building real-world applications, get these courses for the price of lunch at Udemy. After taking these courses in sequential order, you would become a python pro as long as you try to complete the homework. These courses helped demystify programming in python for me and gave me wings to fly unlike the python course I took on Coursera and Codecademy.

• The Python Bible | Everything You Need To Program In Python 
• The Python Mega Course: Build 10 Real World Application
• Solve 100 Python Exercises (This will help solidify your knowledge of python)
• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

3. Learn The Act of Googling and Using StackOverflow

As a beginner programmer, the most important skill to have even before learning to code is the knowledge of asking the right questions on search engines preferably Google. When typing in your questions, ask like you are asking a friend. For example, “How to copy files in python”, “How to set up Python virtual environment”. So ask Google.

StackOverflow is a website loved by software developers of all ages and experience levels. It is a hub for finding solutions to developer problems. You can become a contributor when you’ve got more experience to help others. There are many solutions to problems you may encounter on your journey to becoming a programmer on stack overflow (it doesn’t matter which language you are learning). When you want to ask a question, show your code, say what you have tried or done that doesn’t work. Ask clear questions. You need to check how questions that have a high number of upvotes were asked to get an idea of what a good question looks like. Before you ask a question make sure you have searched for the same question on the website to be sure you are not repeating already answered questions.

4. Join A Challenge and Practice The Heck Out Of Coding

The more you practice, the more familiar you get with what works and what doesn’t. When it comes to learning how to code, the magic is to code or read about the programming language you are learning every day even if it is for 30 minutes. 1 hour a day is doable even when you have a day job. Find time to code or read about something related to coding or watch a tutorial every day. Once the frequency drops, you will see the difference. You can join the #100daysofcode challenge which has almost 35, 000 followers on Twitter. Twitter is a useful social media platform for people learning to code. This will help you have a tribe to encourage and motivate you. So, practice, practice, practice.

5. Focus On One Area

You may have heard that Python can be used to do 1000 things. It doesn’t mean you have to learn to use python in all the 1000 areas. If your interest is in learning python for Data Analytics, concentrate on this area and forget about Python for Web Development. Once you are comfortable in learning one area, you can then go ahead to learn the Python for Web Scrapping, if you desire. These are just examples. I made this mistake when I first started learning to code. I was learning Java and IOS at the same time. It is a very ineffective way to learn. Focus on learning one thing before moving to another new shiny object.

6. Document Your Progress

Create a GitHub account. GitHub is a platform where developers host, share and review their codes. You can also find open-source codes by other developers to help you learn. You need a little tutorial to get the best of GitHub. Check out this tutorial by AcadeMind to help you set up your account and learn how Git works (how to commit, fork, do a pull request, and so on). AcadeMind is one of the YouTube channels I recommend for new software developers or for anyone learning to code. Watch this video I made about 7 Programming YouTube Channels Every Beginner Software Programmer Should Follow to find more resources to help yourself through this learning process. Socratica is your best channel for wetting your feet when you are just beginning to learning python.

You can also document your progress through a blog or videos. If you are looking for how to start a blog, read the guide on how to start here.

If You Prefer Learning With Books, Use This Book

If learning through videos is not your thing, you can use this great O’Reilly book by Mark Lutz “Learning Python, 5th Edition”.

Many people keep asking me if they can learn to code at the age of 40 or 50. Do you think I will be able to learn to code at my age? I have kids now, will I be able to learn this? I usually answer them with this great quote by Henry Ford. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” ― Henry Ford

7. Build Your Confidence By Teaching What You’ve Learned

Teaching is a great way to build your confidence and grow your knowledge on any subject. While you learn, find an “interested” friend or group of people and teach them some basic concepts. You can do this by volunteering to teach kids or teenagers in your city library or in your community centre or in your religious place or wherever you can share your knowledge.

Volunteering to teach programming in my city library helped me meet professionals in the field and newbie developers. This compelled me to learn in such a way that I could explain any concept to a newbie.
Some people view volunteering as a waste of time. It was actually one of the points on my resume that interviewers always want to know more about. It eases interviews for me because it usually changes the discussion towards soft skills during my interviews.

When you volunteer to teach, it improves your communication, organizational and people skills.
One hour per weekend wouldn’t hurt you plus the advantage of being part of a worthy cause in your community.

If volunteering is not your thing, creating tutorials might be another great way to share your knowledge. Make tutorial videos or blogs where you can share your knowledge. I know many people who got their first programming jobs through the tutorials they shared online. You could also use the tutorial platform to build an online community that you can monetize in the future.

8. Apply For Jobs Even When You Think You are Not Ready

Here’s my story which sounds very awkward but I knew what I was getting myself into. My curiosity took a better part of me when I made this decision. When I just started learning how to code. I applied for a software engineer role to see how interviews for such a job usually go. I knew I didn’t have the level of knowledge for that job but I still went on to apply.

Funny enough, I passed the first behavioural interview over WebEx (stage one). Then spoke with the team manager a week later where he asked me basic programming and language-related questions (second stage interview). I probably impressed him. HR invited me for the 3rd stage (whiteboard coding interview) at their office location. I prepared the much I could, got to the interview early, chatted with some of their workers. Then, time for the interview, I was so ready to be laughed at. Did they laugh at some point? Yes, because I was mixing java code with python syntax. Jeez. The guy picked up some Kleenex and was blowing his nose vigorously. He said, “wow, is python now, eh”? My code almost gave him a heart attack and a serious airway infection 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. But the mockery made me go home and study so hard. Four months later, I had two job offers which were waiting for me after much more studying time.

Moral of the story, don’t wait till you are fully ready. You may never feel ready. Just give it a try even if you feel stupid at the end of the interview but that will encourage you to learn more and expose areas you need to tie loose ends.

Wrapping it Up

I hope this my long guide makes sense to you and helps you learn to code in python or any other programming language.

Keep your comments and questions coming in the comment section below. Make sure you subscribe to get notified when I publish a new article.

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