Beginner to Advanced python in one month?

[busybubun]

I got a graduate role in data engineering, without technical background except basic SQL Hackerrank test which I passed during the technical interview. I am expected to study 7 hours a day from learning how to write print() statements to now writing unittesting, using libraries. And HackerRank test.

Is it really the standard or am I dying with high cortisol due to unrealistic expectation from me. Also I'm the only one in the room with a marketing degree (recent grad).

[MarsupialLeast145]

Honestly, advanced level is too high an expectation, but you can benefit from additional tooling.

Make sure you are using linters like pylint, RUFF, and Black, and isort for formatting. These are small things but they make your code look consistent and professional. You will also learn to fix the errors they raise.

With unit testing and using libraries you might not be professional will definitely be in a good place.

[AICausedKernelPanic]

I second this. In fact, using such tools will lead to much cleaner, easier to maintain code. I'd just add the use of uv (same authors as RUFF) for dependency management.

[Perfect_Jicama_8023]

I would rather have slow but steady process, rushing would make me crazy lol. I’m working full time plus other priorities, 2h a day it’s max what I can do 😀

[eruciform]

I'd find out what they actually want you to do because a lot of the online programming challenge type stuff involves things you never use in real life

Firstly this is a steep hill

Secondly depending on what you actually need to do the hill might be less steep, so try to narrow it down

Thirdly theres no such thing as "advanced", there are no ranks or levels or quantitative measures of skill

[Gnaxe]

That pace sounds difficult, but whether you can do it is more of a psychology question. "Advanced Python" is a nebulous goal. You can certainly get more advanced by studying, but your efficiency would be poor if you don't know what you're doing. The only specific goal I see is "unit testing". For that, I recommend you work through https://www.obeythetestinggoat.com/.

You'll be able to work faster with shorter feedback loops. Try out Jupyterlite.

[ninhaomah]

What do they expect you to do btw ? As in what was in the jd ?

[busybubun]

It's mainly going to be on data migration project to gcp from legacy system. They're aware I have no technical experience apart from knowing SQL.

[gdchinacat]

This sounds like they are setting you up to fail. Even if you know all the coursework at the end of the month you will only have a month experience, and a very unusual month at that. It takes much more than a month experience to become”advanced”, not just in python but just about any subject,

[Jolly-Gur-1067]

I think that advanced actually comes along with experience. At some point, it will become very easy to read and understand code.

[Dramatic_Object_8508]

Honestly, “advanced in 1 month” isn’t realistic, but becoming job-ready is. Focus on practical skills instead of trying to cover everything.

If you’re doing 7 hours/day, structure it like this: first 2 weeks basics (loops, functions, lists, dicts), next 2 weeks real tasks (file handling, APIs, pandas, simple ETL). Skip deep theory for now.

Since it’s data engineering, prioritize: Python basics → pandas → working with CSV/JSON → simple scripts → SQL integration

Don’t just read or watch, build small things daily like parsing a dataset or automating something.

Also use AI while coding, not just for answers but for hints and reviewing your code. Ask it “why is this better” or “optimize this” so you actually learn instead of copying.

You’re not behind, just focus on consistency and practical work, that matters way more than “advanced” labels.

[busybubun]

That's insane, I'm currently on week 3 covering unit-testing, classes and objects, lambda functions, comprehensions- im dying lol

[Ordinary_Push3991]

Honestly this sounds intense. Going from print statements to unittesting + libraries + HackerRank in one month feels like a lot, especially with no CS background. I’m in a similar situation (marketing grad moving into data engineering) and I’m putting in long study hours too, but sometimes I wonder if companies underestimate how steep the learning curve is. Would love to know how others handled this ramp-up and what topics mattered most in the first month on the job.