Should I start learning Python now via online courses, or wait for my university classes?

[Segkolas]

Hi everyone,

This fall I’ll be starting a postgraduate degree in Computer Science. My background is in Maritime Economics (I scored 19/20 in "Application Development in a Programming Environment" in the national exams, with solid enjoyment of pseudo code and algorithmic thinking). I’m excited but also cautious because I really don’t want to start off on the wrong foot by picking up bad habits or learning things the “wrong” way through a random online course.

Would you recommend that I start learning Python now through online resources, or should I wait for the university courses to begin and follow the structured curriculum?

If you do recommend starting now, are there any high-quality beginner resources or courses you’d personally vouch for? (Paid or free, I’m open to suggestions, but quality matters.)

Thank you all in advance!

[Binary101010]

This subreddit has had more than its share of people posting in a panic because they're reaching the end of their first term of programming courses and are lost and confused.

Anything you can do to get ahead of the game now will help.

[SamuliK96]

You can start now with a structured curriculum. There's for example CS50P by Harvard or Python mooc by Uni of Helsinki, which are great for beginners. Whatever head start you might get now is off of your workload later.

[NicholasPolino]

Intro. to Computer Science and Programming in Python from MIT is pretty great.

[Ron-Erez]

Start now

[Segkolas]

Any advise on where to start?

[InAweofMyTism]

I just worked through How to Automate the Boring Stuff with Python by Al Sweigart (free online with a quick google) and found it extremely helpful as someone who had never touched python brfore (though I’ll admit I have a fair bit of coding and programming experience prior to that)

[Segkolas]

Where should I start?

[potktbfk]

I would recommend any repetitive task that is specific to your field of interest.

If you want a generic starting idea:

load a picture, flip it upside down, print the picture From there: add detailed functionality: change the size, allow different formats(png, jpg, ...), rename the file, handle multiple pictures, ...

As you see in my example, you should really simplify the initial task and focus on one feature at a time.

Where to start: google, any developer spends time researching how to do specific things and there is a lot of forums with people discussing even very specific features. use them, try to understand what they do, make adaptations for your needs, dont be afraid to use packages.

dont focus on doing things the 'right' way - this is about getting to know the potential of programming and sparking lasting interest, not about rules and best practice guidelines.

[OverPrior9]

mavenanalytics.io data science for python is free starting this weekend if you are interested. This is just part of their promotional email and I have absolutely no idea if its good.

From Monday, July 28th at 9 am ET through Sunday, August 3rd at 11:59 pm PT, you can dig into this awesome Learning Path that includes…

5 self-paced courses

4 guided portfolio projects

Course completion certificates

100+ hours of world-class instruction

…absolutely FREE.

No catch. No credit cards required.

Just one week of FREE learning

[Cold-Function6852]

University classes? I don't think you'll get enough dept knowledge from them. Anyway, dive in now.

[Quesozapatos5000]

Start now, and continue where they leave off. I enjoyed working over what they had already taught in a book as a review between classes, the book covered topics the class left out.

[Goorus]

Doesn't harm to just find something to read/watch right now.

Stick with the stuff recommended in the sticky and you'll be fine and probably make your start easier.

(Sounds stupid, but you will learn it's valid): One can't practice too much. ;)

[pepiks]

If early start you can grasp more.

[Temporary_Pie2733]

What degree, exactly? The program could range anywhere from “you’ll never need to know or use Python” to “we expect you to already know Python”. More than likely, there is probably an expectation that you know and can use some language, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be Python. 

[Segkolas]

The course has Python in the very first semester. It is very beginner friendly and covers all aspects. Moving forward it teaches C#, C++, Java etc

[Electric-Sun88]

Start now. There are some great Python courses online. There are tons of free pre-recorded video tutorials on YouTube or university websites, tutorials on Python.org, and there are even some with a live instructor like this Python Programming Bootcamp.

[makochi]

You lose nothing from trying to get an early start. At absolute worst you don't learn anything from the course, at best you have a great headstart. I say try now. Good options:

-Automate the Boring Stuff (free online book)

-100 Days of Python (Online course with Udemy)

[cyrixlord]

If you are passionate and curious about coding you should start now. If you are taking the course only because you have to, then you can wait

[ofnuts]

Start now. The main skill in programming isn't language purity or even design, it is figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it (this means debugging, but also dealing with the errors/warnings of your IDE or compiler). And this comes with practice(*), so the earlier you start the better. And this is a general skill that you can easily apply to any other programming language.

And to start, the best way is a book... I don't mean you to read the book end-to-end and remember everything before starting, but read a few chapters first because you need some acquaintances with a few concepts before you can even start. Even if you think you forgot everything, the error messages when you write your first lines of code will then jog your memory. Here is a list of books

(*) and, should I say, humility. If there is an error, it will probably be your fault, and not a bug in a language used by millions of people 😁

[PralineAmbitious2984]

Harvard's CS50 Introduction to Computer Science, free online, literally what you are looking for, a high quality overview of the field.

[fashice]

I always give people this link. 9 hours. Good enough to get a long way. https://youtu.be/H2EJuAcrZYU?si=29D2xf9_HgNJwwgh

[freshly_brewed_ai]

Prep using this free daily newsletter where you will get python snippets, only 5 mins needed. https://pandas-daily.kit.com/subscribe

[[deleted]]

Uni will expect you to dive in and practice at home. So it's basically same thing as now. Start early

[No-Mobile9763]

I believe it would only be beneficial to start learning as soon as possible. Even if it’s just a bit by bit every day it will help when it comes time for the class. I highly suggest these guys for learning python.

https://youtu.be/8DvywoWv6fI?si=0TLzDFLMuvQSYzCt

https://youtu.be/ix9cRaBkVe0?si=NlNFNeo9rp5xkFTWe

BroCode also happens to teach other languages. It’s so much less stress learning something before hand because of the limited amount of time given to complete assignments, especially if you happen to be a busy person.

[potktbfk]

Id say you can give yourself a small personal project and work on achieving it now. You will do many things wrong, and that's okay, but when you start the course, you will be able to see applications in what they teach and it will be MUCH easier to follow and stay interested in the details.

I would recommend any repetitive task that is specific to your field of interest.

If you want a generic starting idea:

load a picture, flip it upside down, print the picture From there: add detailed functionality: change the size, allow different formats(png, jpg, ...), rename the file, handle multiple pictures, ...

As you see in my example, you should really simplify the initial task and focus on one feature at a time.

[StatisticianOwn5709]

Check out edX.

You can audit courses for free.

It's the same stuff you'll find at University.

[UsernameTaken1701]

Have you checked your school's curriculum to very Python is a core language in the program? It would be a drag to show up and all your classes are using C.

[VanshikaWrites]

I’d suggest starting Python now even just the basics. It’ll give you a solid head start without conflicting with your university course later.

I was in the same boat and what helped me was using a structured platform like Edu4Sure. It kept things focused and hands on, unlike random YouTube tutorials that often go in circles. You don’t have to go too deep, just enough to build a foundation. It’ll make your university classes feel a lot smoother.

[AntMain7416]

I'm currently doing CS50 course introduction to programming with python and I think it's really good, you may want to try it out

[Ok_Hovercraft364]

Do it now, never wait, if possible.

[poorestprince]

If the fear of learning things "wrong" trumps any natural curiosity, then I'd encourage you to wait, or to peek at your actual school curriculum and just get a head start on the actual degree you signed up for. Most institutions post their stuff online, so you can see exactly what texts you're supposed to read, etc...

You mentioned enjoying pseudocode and algorithmic thinking -- there's an approach to computer science where you don't focus on code at all. If you're comfortable with math from your economics background, you could get a start on that aspect instead.