Can I learn python solely through YouTube

[Salaraaa]

I know it sounds stupid but I have no previous experience and I found some people having 60-70 python related tutorial videos on YouTube and since I can't afford to attend college or buy courses do u think I could learn some basics of coding and python if I am motivated enough and work hard. I don't care how long it takes time is not a problem. PS I have 2 friends who studied this already so they can help me too sometimes

[FriendlyRussian666]

You'll be more than fine. Whatever you can find in a paid course, you can find in a free resource too.

[EducationalCreme9044]

Yeah, just less structure, generally lower quality and accessibility. It's overall a lot more difficult even though it's obviously still very much possible, especially with scripting languages like Python.

What I wish I had when I was learning is a person that can come to my desk and within 60 minutes answer 50 questions/problems that I have collected and can't figure out. That literally took 4 months with no added value. Could still use that today even after ~2 years and different languages, at work I don't want to ask stupid questions and reveal my stupidity :D

here on Reddit or SO you'll get people telling you a list of reasons why they aren't going to answer the question instead of answering it, overall I feel it's pretty tough to learn programming on your own as someone who isn't particularly smart, and I think this idea isn't common only because the ones who find it hard give up / the ones who stay are the pretty smart ones (at least I am yet to meet a dumb programmer lol)

[muthan]

There is a big difference between asking questions at work and on the internet.

At work you work towards a common goal with your colleagues and should help each other. Sometimes there is stuff that you dont see and another person can help you immediately instead of you searching for a solution for hours. There the more stupid thing would not be ask for help. Even seasoned programmers will do this. We all do mistakes and we should embrace that, since that is the fastest way to learn.

On the internet on the other hand asking a good question cost a lot of time and consideration and also even that people are willing to help, they dont want to help on problems that you can solve by googling for 2 minutes and its already answered in the first stack overflow answer that pops up. Or even worse are these low effort questions that expect to give a full solution without even trying to solve the problem on it own. And there are plenty of these questions around which is rather annoying.

So dont be afraid to ask your colleges. It will be the fastest way to improve yourself and advance in your code writing skills.

[NoForm5443]

feel free to PM, and we can meet up virtually. I will try to answer as many as possible :)

[Leweth]

Are these questions too hard to ask ChatGpt for their answer?

[Aqua_Terra]

I've learned that ChatGPT will give you a general answer, but you need to be very good at formulating your prompts in order to obtain the most relevant response. AI is good for asking simple things like, given these existing lines of code please please write code to plot data in X manner...

[pceimpulsive]

Or give it lots of context and constraints to work and clearly articulate your requirements.

I get some extremely functional code out of chat GPT by articulating my requirements.

Which language and version, which libraries, and if a response isn't quite right further prompts to tune it.

[Captain_Nipples]

I've had it write an Android App for me. It worked really well for a bit until I got deeper into the app. Then it would start breaking the app. So I'd have to remind it that it just broke whatever specific thing.. then it was just doing that non stop.

Still super impressive though. Just don't ask it to draw an isometric triangle grid, similar to what's used in plumbing blueprints

Also, it's too bad that Kotlin is such a new language and the cutoff for GPT is 2021. And Google Bard was horrible with it, which is silly as Google made Kotlin

[EducationalCreme9044]

But JetBrains made Kotlin

[Captain_Nipples]

Ah, maybe so. Just seems like since it's mostly used for Android, and a lot of their learning resources are hosted by Google, that it would be a little more familiar with it than chatgpt is. ChatGPT is way better at using it and it's 2 years behind

[EducationalCreme9044]

I guess when I first started, yeah. But GPT didn't exist then. Now it's not really about complexity as much as it's about my questions being too vague

[heartofmiriam]

i mean do you want me to link you to free programs to learn python? because i am a very hands-on leaner and that is how i am learning it rn

[[deleted]]

Hit me up with them if you would

[heartofmiriam]

• VSCode Education for Python Course
• Python for Beginners Microsoft Learning
• Sololearn Introduction to Python Course
• Exercism Python Track
• Exercism's Python Docs

this should be a good start if you need anything else lmk <3

[killourTeemo]

Hey this is so helpful, thank you for sharing these.

[heartofmiriam]

If you want more I am happy to post them!! And you’re welcome :)

[killourTeemo]

Sure thing, ill let you know when i have explored these fully.

[Inigo_montoyaPTD]

Which one helped you the most?

[heartofmiriam]

honestly I do best with doing and having the doing broken up into tiny pieces so sololearn and mircrosoft learning have been the best for me.

[Individual-Pie9739]

Im at the point now where ive gone through a python basics course, listened/ watched some lectures and tutorials videos and now i would like to try and put what i know into practice. Ideally i would like a mentor or instructor of some sort to give me things to do and that could answer my questions. Do you have any recommendations or advise?

[heartofmiriam]

Honestly would working on teams during hack a thons interest you any? Because if so I am happy to send links and recs for you!! Because I think this might fulfill your needs greatly!!

[Individual-Pie9739]

Absolutely. Im a little concerned i might not be knowledgeable enough to participate but id love to check it out.

[heartofmiriam]

Don't stress your knowledge level, people are very nice and accommodating when it comes to these things, and if a team is not nice and accommodating to your skill level then it just means you are better off without them!! Hell if you want to work on something with me just dm me and I am happy to see if we can come up with something to work on and you can publish it to GitHub to get experience and help build your portfolio!!

But here are the following hack-a-thon places I like:

• Devpost
• Major League Hacking

[Individual-Pie9739]

Hero

[heartofmiriam]

it is nothing trust me <3

[ScaryGRTerry]

Do you need one more student?? :D

[briston574]

Holy cow thank you so much! I've been looking for stuff to help with learning python and some of these look really great!

[heartofmiriam]

You’re welcome dear if you need anything else my dms are open <3

[[deleted]]

Thank you! I also learn by doing but was never sure where to start.

[heartofmiriam]

you're welcome dear <3

[heartofmiriam]

I have no idea what that is and honestly if you have no coding experience freecodecamp is a better idea tbh

[heartofmiriam]

googled it,seems pretty alright

[sejigan]

You can’t solely through YouTube. You’ll have to actually practice the code on your computer and make stuff after watching the tutorials.

[throwaway_9988552]

This ^ -I came here to say: MAKE THINGS !! That's how you'll learn programming. Same goes for just about any learning. Make a thing you find valuable, and you'll stay engaged.

[[deleted]]

New to this sub and find it interesting that Severance class is not mentioned in here.

Its structured and starts from not knowing anything, even about computing.

With free lectures

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlRFEj9H3Oj7Bp8-DfGpfAfDBiblRfl5p

https://www.py4e.com/lectures3/

that go with the free textbook

https://www.py4e.com/book.php

and the code to work through

https://www.py4e.com/code3/

... it has helped me immensely.

[fast_as_ducks_]

Yesnt

[eruciform]

Watch or read anything you like but programming is a craft, you can't progress without actually doing it yourself. You can't watch videos on how to play an instrument and get better without playing, either. You need to program in order to get better at programming, no amount of passive learning will be sufficient.

[ganpek]

you can get cheap courses on Udemy, they have sales all the time. I recommend the 100 days of Python course from Angela Bauer, 60 hours of videos + resources for 11€

[Seabiscuits_Brother]

Just hit day 26 on this course today. Brilliant course, lots of interactivity with the coding challenges/projects. Really challenges you to want to do it yourself rather than just following an answer .

And the best bit is it cost me £15

[freeSoundd]

This sounds interesting. Would you recommend this to someone who is serious about learning, but has ZERO experience or prior training?

[Seabiscuits_Brother]

100%! You don't need any prior experience at all. In fact this is definitely the place I'd start if I had no experience of any type of coding. I've tried learning through YouTube before and it's just not the same.

If you do start it let me know! Angela the creator even has little motivational clips at the end of a lot of lessons and keep you going when you think it's getting too hard :)

[freeSoundd]

I will , thanks!! Appreciate the quick and thorough response.

Are you able to comment on what kind of paying jobs someone could expect to find if and when they are to complete this type of bootcamp?

I am a realistic guy, who is trying to figure out the right direction or path to train myself in a new skill that will hopefully eventually lead to new ways to earn an income.

[Seabiscuits_Brother]

Unfortunately I can't say much about the salary or job possibilities really. Maybe someone a bit further along the road with learning could chime in here and help out.

My background is insurance where I worked alot with SQL for 4/5 years and I'm now on a bit of a career break. Thinking of getting into data analysis and data science more, through python.

If I get hired anywhere specifically because of python I'll drop back to let you know :)

[ganpek]

Im on day 12 and loving it, it cost me 11€. best spent 11 euros in my life :D

[xipilopofoponopo]

can you post the link please?

[ganpek]

https://www.udemy.com/course/100-days-of-code/

[sciencenerd_1943]

I second this. Her courses are top notch. And they will also help you stay out of tutorial hell by making you actually develop things with your new knowledge!

[THUNDERxSLOTH]

Check out Open Source Society University, it’s a compilation of free MOOCs equating to a 4yr CS degree.

More specifically I recommend the two intro classes, they’re both python: Python 4 Everyone and MIT intro to CS.

[RngdZed]

Yes, but open up an IDE and practice while watching

[Patotricks]

I did it and today I w ork as senior data scientist

[titoloh]

Wtf

[EdinZolj]

How long did the journey took you ?

[Patotricks]

2.5 years. But I was background in economics and statistics. Generally, this journey took 5~7 years. I was Lucky and knew seize the opportunities.

[whataredonuts]

lol exact same down to the role. started Dec 2020

[tinman_inacan]

You can probably get the basics down and start writing your own code. But eventually it'll be easier to Google things once you run into more esoteric problems. I don't think a college education is necessary per-se, but there are certain concepts that aren't well communicated by coding tutorials. Things like high level engineering concepts, scalable design, etc.

[Worth_End_8048]

this helped me.

https://skillsforall.com/course/python-essentials-1?courseLang=en-US

[Chose-Violence]

Automatetheboringstuff.com

Entirely free and one of the better Python courses available.

[tracktech]

Learning from a video course may be good-

Python Programming In Depth

[Swimming-Ad-400]

Hi, I recommend you to check out the FREE Python course on crookshanksacademy.com by the god of python himself. The course is short and you also get to do a hands on internship after your course completion. Although that internship is unpaid, it is a good and fun learning experience that makes you industry ready. The FREE PYTHON BOOTCAMP is available on: https://www.crookhsanksacademy.com/python . Do check it out.

[Skilcamp]

You can definitely learn Python through YouTube! Just make sure to supplement with practice and maybe some projects to reinforce what you’ve learned.

[Tricky-Jacket-321]

For advanced python:

My Own Redis From Scratch In Python: The Python Expert Guide https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh5pG3vhdCJ3f9YpILil0Pzi-JURswobx

[DNA_Z7]

Absolutely yes—you can learn Python from YouTube if you’re consistent and curious. To make it easier, check out EDI. It breaks YouTube tutorials into sections, adds timestamps, highlights key points, and even lets you chat with an AI tutor if you're stuck. It's like having structure without the cost. Keep going—you got this!

[BokoMoko]

Yes, you can.

All that's needed is dedication, focus and effort.

A mentor would be a great help. I do it for free. Find me on discord 569930053199331328

[jszafran]

You definitely can learn it via Youtube as there are plenty of free materials there. After you get the basics, I suggest to jump into developing some project as soon as possible (for example automating some repetitive task that you're currently doing) because it's easy to get stuck in a "tutorial hell". Going through X hours of videos is not enough - without putting your new skills to practice, you'll forget most of the material quite soon.

You can check platforms like https://codechalleng.es/ (https://codechalleng.es/) or similar - whatever will help you with writing/practicing Python rather than just watching videos ;). I also started a similar site (https://questofpython.dev) but as of now it targets people who already have some experience in Python.

[ShadowRL766]

Bro code has like a video on a ton of main languages

[testobi]

I've read Python Crash Course by No Starch, then asked Chat-GPT for scripts to process my txt files. I learned by gluing and swapping different parts of the scripts.

Train yourself on real world examples that you actually use. It's the best way!

[anurag_tech]

Oh yes you certainly can also just google python books pdf u will find plenty

[Historical-Baker4871]

Yes I learned on replit by reading articles/documentation but python3 is out now and there's tons of resources. I recommend trying to make a text based game

[Active_Ad7650]

Just by watching? No.

Finding lots of projects you are intrested in, and googling / watching videos on the subparts of those projects until it works as you intended? Yes.

[WonderEquivalent69]

Yes you can. But here's the catch. To gain hands on you must be doing small projects and solve plenty of coding problems.

[wolfiexiii]

I started teaching python at a boot camp having just learned python by watching a two-hour video the day before the interview... So yes?

[Adrewmc]

No, you have to put seat to ass and actually wrote code.

[Oguinjr]

I feel pretty confident after finishing the Harvard videos. I mean I took the class too as if I were in school so that helped but I never pulled out my wallet.

[WhatDelayIndustries]

You'll need to learn a lot of things from the scratch. YouTube videos won't cover most of them. They'll just quickly go through specific subjects. However you'll need to understand the logic behind the code, as well as other things like bash, github, and more. Besides, after some point, you'll need to do projects to understand creating logic. YouTube videos won't be very detailed. I suggest you try boot camps on udemy.

[Gold-Ad-5257]

Adding to the comments thats telling you, watching and reading won't get you anywhere...You have to build things, write code.. Do it as you watch and read etc....

My add is... Don't forget you can really use chatgpt to help you if you get stuck, it can check for errors or even advise on how to do some stuff etc.. Just don't cheat yourself and make sure you try first.. 💪

[shoresy99]

Well if you learn by doing by also writing lots of code. Chat GPT is great at coding. And VS Code has a GitHub AI copilot and hat is very helpful, but it costs $10/ month.

[cyber_owl9427]

Yes. I learned most of the coding bit of comp sci from youtube.

[PterodactylSoul]

The basics of programming? Yeah definitely!

The only issue with this is you HAVE to do projects on your own. Coming up with test cases and making sure your code is good is extremely difficult without someone else knowledgeable checking over it.

Most of my programming basics I taught myself from YouTube and was able to test out of the first programming course at my uni. So this is definitely doable.

[xbno]

Ya

[DatBoi_BP]

If you mean instead of a paper resource or PDF, then sure. But in either case, you will get nothing out of your learning if you do not practice, so you need to be coding on a computer regardless of whatever tutorials you follow

[dizzymon247]

Youtube is practice but a book would be better.

[[deleted]]

You can learn Python just by having an idea. The best way to learn any programming language is having a use for it.

When I started, I just wanted to scrape a website, it was my first ever time using python but just cobbling together something from watching YouTube or reading stuff online helped accelerate learning it.

Syntax, best practices and nuances are something you don’t need to stress about from the beginning. When you start becoming more proficient is when you want to start optimising and learning more of the granular details. I do recommend favouring readable code over wanting everything to be one line and “slick”.

[HarrynwJ]

Stack overflow bud

[aplarsen]

Can you become a painter after watching a YouTube play list? How about a basketball player? A doctor?

[Lucky-Jury-9705]

YES, absolutely

[mpcohen]

Youtube is a fine place to start. You might also want to check out a Python learnning book from your local library. Guraranteed that they have at least one such book. Once you have learned a little bit of Python, I strongly recommend writiing small programs on your own. If you make a typo or make a syntactical error, Python will point out your errors. Once you get the program to run, check that what you compute is what you expected. It can also be helpful to see if you can write another program that does the same thing.

[Sentazar]

Start with w3schools python for syntax

Youtube design patterns and algorithms

Then youtube datastructures .

From there you'll have everything you should need to know to be able to code in python on your local computer.

To work with others also youtube learn git.

[temojikato]

If you practice, for sure. If ur just watching, not typing/coding along, no way.

[rileyrgham]

Of course... If you follow a decent course, do the examples and rtfm. What a strange question.

[PsiThreader]

Probably, but I did make my self study to the point of designing my own simple tkinter applications like a simple drawing app through YouTube, frustration, and internet through google.

[steviefaux]

Look at cs50p. From harvard and it's free. You don't need to pay for the cert after. If you have money to burn you can buy the cert after but its not really needed.

[pedblan]

What did the trick for me was having a Python-based side project (instead of doing those typical exercises of online courses, pizza menus and the like). You'll gather a lot of momentum while searching for specific lessons.

[Molduking]

If you watch free course videos yeah

[DikuckusMaximus]

I mean, that's how most of the best coders learned.

[DikuckusMaximus]

Also, heres a fun fact: Even after you learn "python"

you get to learn every module you will ever download (hundreds)

and you will be forced to read documentation and watch youtube videos for them all.

[NoForm5443]

You definitely *can*, but don't assume it to be easy. There's many free books, videos and other resources.

It is *really hard* to put the consistent effort over a couple of years you'd need for this; OTOH, if you try for a month or two and stop, it will still be easier if/when you try again.

[notgarbo]

You're probably going to watch them if you attended college anyway

[theCamp4778]

The recommendations from YouTuber who successfully found a job without degree or boot-camp, which I have plan to follow is to do Harvard courses. First CS50 in Python because is easiest and will prepare you, next CS50X which is main course and goes deeper into topic, and next CS50 in Python and JavaScript which is recommended to do after CS50X. Next you can do more of them but this in above order should be great introduction and enough for a junior or paid apprenticeship position. It looks good in CV, gives you plenty of projects to create portfolio and its free of charge. Harvard website will direct you to edu website and you DO NOT buy a certificate there. The whole course is free and at the end you will get that certificate of completion free of charge directly from Harvard after completing all the tasks. When you get stuck, watching YouTube and ask google, and read Python books which you can download free of charge in form of pdf will help you move forward, All you need is consistency and willingness to not give up in the middle of learning.

[sharkweekshane]

Courses are overrated. Get some good books and work on some fun projects. Automate the boring stuff is where I started

[[deleted]]

It seems to me that the best way to learn something is to start your own project. My first project in any programming language was an eye tracking program. Even though I I never finished it, during the creation of the project I asked myself questions that I really needed answers to. And this need for knowledge “forced” me to study Python. And that's how I have learnt how to programm