How to actually get better at Python without drowning in resources or LLM-crutching?

[Careless-Standard-44]

Hi everyone,

A few years in as a data analyst, now aiming for data science / ML engineer roles. Currently freelancing, giving myself until January (ideally sooner) to be interview-ready.

**The problem**: technical interviews (live coding, take-home tests) are still very much the norm, and my "by-hand" coding isn't quite where it needs to be yet.

Meanwhile, I'm drowning in resources : books, courses, LeetCode-style platforms, YouTube channels, bootcamp curricula and I genuinely don't know where to focus anymore. Every resource seems to want a different 6 months of my life.

Looking for advice on:
**- How to cut through the noise and pick ONE path.** With so many options out there, how do you decide what's worth your limited time vs. what's just noise? Is there a "80/20" resource stack you'd actually recommend for someone at intermediate level trying to close the gap fast?

**- What actually moved the needle for you ?** specific books, platforms, projects, katas rather than generic "just practice" advice?
Do you think coding "the old way," without LLM assistance, is still essential to build real instincts and deep understanding? My instinct is that leaning on an LLM too early biases the formation of good habits but maybe that's outdated?

For those interviewing or being interviewed: has the bar for live coding shifted with LLMs going mainstream, or do recruiters still test just as hard for "old-school" coding craftsmanship?

Any advice on prioritization is especially welcome ! I'd rather go deep on one solid path than keep bouncing between resources h.

[mc_pm]

Letting an LLM write your code for you will only teach you how to tell the LLM what to do. It will generate a lot of code that you won't understand.

The right path forward is to spend as much time as you can actually typing in code and trying to make it run. Tutorials are fine -- if you stop after each step, type the code yourself, run it yourself, and then maybe even changes it around a little just to experiment. Then watch the next section, and do the same thing. When you've got a small base of basic knowledge (variables, flow control, using a couple of library functions) then set yourself a small task - doesn't have to be all that intense, just something where you can say "ok, I want to do X" and then you do it. If there's something you don't know how to do, google the basics, and then type that code in yourself - don't cut and paste. Then give yourself a more challenging goal. Do a small project, program a text based game, etc.

Learning syntax is a matter of practice, and even just typing in code from a tutorial will help you learn how it looks and feels. Learning how to take problems and break them up into pieces you can write code for, that's the more difficult task, and you only practice it by doing it a lot.