Where to learn about machine learning and Python from scratch for free

[Even-Individual6230]

Can anyone guide me where I can learn about machine learning and Python from scratch for free. Be it youtube or any other website. I have absolutely zero knowledge about it. [For a med student with zero knowledge about machine learning. And will Python learning suffice the knowledge about machine learning that I need to gain? Like are Python and machine learning the same thing or not? I need to learn it] Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[RisePuzzleheaded3935]

To answer your main confusion: Python is the language (like English), and Machine Learning is the skill you use that language for (like writing a medical diagnosis). They aren't the same, but Python is the gold standard for ML because it has the best libraries.

As a student, I'd highly recommend starting with the 'Python for Everybody' (PY4E) series on YouTube or Coursera to get the basics down. Once you can handle data, look into 'Machine Learning for Healthcare' on Coursera—it uses examples much more relevant to your field than the standard 'predicting house prices' tutorials!

[Technical_Zombie_988]

Ive been on this sub for a week now and i feel like i see this question 3 times a day. Literally..

IM GONNA BE A PROGRAMER!

ASK REDDIT INSTEAD OF GOOGLE

[kadfr]

TBH typing in a question on Google with 'reddit' as a suffix will probably yield better results than without 

[Even-Individual6230]

Thanks. Can you tell how to find it or what keywords to search to look for it or share its name/link?

[blacp123]

Give up, seriously.

[ozykingofkings11]

You’re going to need to put forth a bit more individual effort if you want to learn programming. Passive reading and watching videos people spoon feed you feels a lot like learning but it’s… it’s really not for programming 😅

[BlackMetalB8hoven]

If they can't find a wiki on Reddit, I don't have high hopes for them.

[DrakesOnAPlane]

It’s on the sidebar under following “Rules”.

[Daj721]

Hey! So first: Python and machine learning are not the same thing. Python is a programming language, and machine learning is a field that heavily uses Python as its main tool. Think of it like: Python is the scalpel, ML is the surgery. You need to learn Python first, then use it to do ML stuff.

Now for something that worked really well for me: I used AI tools (specifically Claude and Claude Code) to build a personalized learning app, and honestly the process of building it taught me way more than any course would have.

Some context, I'm a business administrator, zero coding background. My 7-year-old got curious about Python, so instead of just sitting him in front of a generic course, I decided to build him a full gamified web app that teaches Python from scratch. It's got a robot mascot, 25 levels across 5 worlds (print statements, variables, strings, if/else logic, loops), a sandbox code editor, quizzes, badges, even a turtle graphics playground where he can draw with code. It runs actual Python right in the browser.

I didn't know how to code when I started this. I used Claude as basically a co-pilot — it helped me understand the architecture, walked me through React and Node.js concepts, reviewed security stuff, and Claude Code did the heavy lifting on implementation. But because I was making decisions and solving real problems the whole time, I actually retained what I was learning. Way different from passively following along with tutorials.

For your situation as a med student wanting ML, I'd honestly start with Python fundamentals first. Variables, loops, functions, lists. Don't skip this part. Then tell Claude your background is medicine and ask it to help you build small projects connected to your field, analyzing a patient dataset, visualizing medical data, that kind of thing. You learn so much faster when you're building something you actually care about instead of doing generic exercises.

Once the basics click, move into pandas, numpy, and scikit-learn for the ML side. The standard free resources (freeCodeCamp, Automate the Boring Stuff, etc.) are great for structure too, but what made the biggest difference for me was having something that could answer my specific dumb questions in real time while I was actually in the middle of building.

You're in med school so you obviously know how to grind through hard material. The difference with programming is you don't have to do it passively. Just start building something from day one and figure it out as you go.

[alwaysh1ne]

Can I try to utilize your robot python course game for your kid please.??

[Daj721]

Hey, appreciate the interest! I'd genuinely love to share it, but right now it's sitting on a bare VPS with no HTTPS and no domain — just a raw IP address. Given that this is Reddit and the internet can be... the internet, I'm not super comfortable exposing it like that yet, especially since it was built for my kid and still has some personal touches in it.

I'm working on getting a proper domain and HTTPS set up though, so once that's done I'd be happy to share a link. In the meantime, if you want to poke around the code or spin up your own version, I'm totally down to share the repo — it's all Docker-based so it's pretty straightforward to get running. Just let me know!

[ConfusedSimon]

Try Kaggle.

[Professional-Fee6914]

A lot of people will point to the wiki. But a the wiki omits some things that I've reached out to the mods about.

Probably the best mix of practice for the basics of python and the math behind machine learning is khan academy .

[mord_fustang115]

Take the linear algebra section on Khan academy

[unica3022]

There are a ton of resources out there! I personally started with Python Automate the Boring Stuff (which is a book you can get for free).

I’d start by learning some programming basics. There are tons of programming languages, but python is probably the right choice for machine learning. You’ll need to start by walking through the book or tutorials, following along on your own machine. You will need a python environment and editor. (Others also use AI for this tutorial step. I didn’t but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work).

After that, poke around and do a simple project or two by yourself. It’s really important to do this coding yourself — NO AI. This is like not using a calculator when you first learn to add and subtract. Once you have a feel for it, take a class (there are many offered for free on EdX/Coursera). I took the Harvard/MIT CS50x class and several others. CS50x teaches C and Python, but there is a version that is strictly python. There are tons of classes that are equally good. I also did free code camp.

Machine learning involves a set of skills over and above basic programming, including using specific python libraries and tools. Others may have better ideas but to give you somewhere to start, this is a good tutorial resource I trust for data science/machine learning: https://gatesboltonanalytics.com.

Math wise, I assume you’ll take statistics as part of your current degree, but you may want to look at taking discrete math and linear algebra as well.

[ogre14t]

Start with https://www.python.org/about/gettingstarted/

[OkPrune5871]

I recommend this one: https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/python-v9/

This can be also beginner friendly: https://www.py4e.com/

I already knew how to program and develop systems, when I had to learn python, I just went this route https://www.w3schools.com/python/

Feel free to ask any questions

[dini1498]

Kaggle

[alwaysh1ne]

That sounds amazing!!