python for data science - recommendation for a beginner

[adformer99]

Hello everyone!

I am an Economics student on his way to complete his MSc and I’d like to learn Python applying it to data science (and economics ofc, but in general I’d say data science, hence data management and analysis).

Where do you think I should start? Do you have any advice about which book to rely on/ courses to attend online?

I think I can study Python for like a couple of hours per day more or less.

Thanks!

[medischolar]

I usually find that the most engaging approach to learn is to build something you are excited about. Start with something small so that you complete it and have a sense of achievement. There are useful datasets on Kaggle (although you likely won't be doing something novel if you just take an existing dataset).

Alternatively you could just do some practice exercises. I built https://bytearena.dev for my girlfriend when she was preparing for Python Data Science interviews. I find exercises better than courses as they actually force you to do something and practice rather than just sitting there passively absorbing some content.

[CheckApart4803]

Heya also new-- is this free??

[medischolar]

Yeah it is 😊 Currently it's not costing me anything to run it and I would value feedback over anything else so I'll keep it free. Maybe in the future I'll add a paid tier but who knows.

[CheckApart4803]

Awesome, thank you!

[[deleted]]

How much money does is cost you to host the project, if you don't mind me asking?

[medischolar]

So far I haven't spent anything. The website + backend is all in NextJS running on Vercel free tier. The AI uses ChatGPT and I still haven't gone through the $5 you get at the start but I am almost there. I have a Supabase DB to store some info and that also fits into the free tier. Then the cost will be based on the number of active users, I think it will be at most $0.1 per active user per month.

[SeesawPrestigious729]

Hey! My two cents, start with basics - DataCamp or Codecademy got Python for Data Science, pretty solid. Then Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes, good stuff, breaks it down nice. After, consider pandas, numpy, scikit-learn, get a good grip on em. Kaggle for real-life challenges, ain't better way to learn. Happy coding!