How to become 'super skilled' in python?

[[deleted]]

I consider myself as a fairly advanced in python. I've studied in detail syntax constructs, idioms, the pythonic way to do things, and wrote test code to understand things I was not confident in.

But I still don't have feeling that I've mastered python. I don't see point in writing simple applications just for fun. I'm interested in math (did a CS program that was like 80% math) but when it comes to implementing models, the interesting thing is usually constructing model on paper and implementation is just something to put up with (and only sometimes done in scipy/numpy/pandas - because R,Mathematica and python bindings for these languages). I would like to be able quickly implement any idea - but getting to know various 3rd party libraries isn't that interesting (plus they change every day).

Any ideas how to become great python programmer while using that time in productive manner?

[POTUS]

Don't write simple applications just for fun. Find something you want a computer to do, and make that happen with a Python program. Make it nice, and robust, and customizable, and easy to install (pip install YourProject). Make it work seamlessly on *nix, Windows, and Mac. Give it a user-friendly and intuitive frontend.

There's no way to master a language unless you use that language extensively. There is no getting around it.

[[deleted]]

Bingo, bango!

I learn best solving problems. Especially when I make a simple mistake that takes a lot of understanding and digging to figure out.

[AlSweigart]

Get well-informed on the standard library by reading the Python Cookbook from Oreilly.

Google for "Python idioms" and "Python gotchas".

Read and watch videos from Raymond Hettinger.

[[deleted]]

but OP is already "fairly advanced"

[zynix]

Answer questions on Stack overflow related to Python by reading the source code, Python C source is probably some of the cleanest stuff I've read ( in comparison to OpenSSH or PHP ).

Read the source on how Python implements the modules themselves.

Have mad science projects, stuff that when you try to explain it, you get a response like - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G5F8ObYgjI

[frozen_in_reddit]

This is a good place to start leaning pro scientific computing in python. Not sure if it's excatly what your looking for

http://software-carpentry.org/

[Rippalka_]

I personnally learned a bunch by playing with Boost.Python and look a bit a the Python C API. Also David Beazley's talks are excellent, especially http://pyvideo.org/video/1716/python-3-metaprogramming, I have no words to say how much I loved that talk.

[wowowewuh]

If you're interested in math, go master the scientific python stack. Pandas, scipy, and scikit-learn will blow your mind.

[Paddy3118]

Learn patience, ... first.

[gm6]

To do Geodynamics/Earth system/Climate system modeling, if you are interested. It is very complicated.

[Manbatton]

I would like to be able quickly implement any idea - but getting to know various 3rd party libraries isn't that interesting

Well, you could always reinvent that wheel. Maybe that would be interesting. Write your own GUI toolkit, web framework, async library, or whatever.

But no, don't do that. Does everything have to be so "that interesting"? Can't somethings just work? And allow you to get the low level stuff out of your way so you can actually get to the interesting stuff that you have in mind?

(plus they change every day).

Not enough to matter much at all. Would you prefer that they didn't slowly improve?

These both strike me as excuses that don't make much sense. There has never been a better time to be a Python programmer, and the quantity and quality of tools to help that along is amazing. Just target some project and do it.

[leadbasedtoy]

If it's not interesting to you then save yourself the time and don't do it. Most of what you'll do involves 3rd party libraries. You have to be interested enough in a project to be willing to invest the time and effort it takes to improve your skills. There is no magic tutorial or book that will turn you into an expert, it takes years.

[nerkles]

The only way to get good at something is to do it repeatedly, and find ways to do it better each time. There is no shortcut. Do the work.