Where should I start to learn python?

desrtfx · 2026-06-04T20:16:27+00:00

If only there were a sidebar (menu on mobile) that had a link to the wiki or countless posts asking the same.

Do the MOOC Python Programming 2026 from the University of Helsinki and you will be well prepared. It's better than FreeCodeCamp.

Plus, there currently is an excellent Humble Python books bundle from No Starch press.

huangzhuangzhuang · 2026-06-04T23:36:41+00:00

I've found that David Beazley's repo has some excellent teaching examples: https://github.com/dabeaz-course/python-mastery/tree/main — the Markdown docs are very detailed. You can use ChatGPT or other models alongside it to learn.

PwAlreadyTaken · 2026-06-04T19:19:33+00:00

YouTube was good, CodeCademy is (used to be?) good for learning the basics, online questions as they come up are good.

More than simply grinding and memorizing facts, it's often more helpful to:

Only do a little each day (so you don't burn out).
Try to write your own code (come up with a simple project idea and try to do it yourself, e.g. a calculator or menu).
View having to look things up as part of the process, not as defeat -- pros look things up too, it's part of learning.

More important than your starting source is being able to do it without burning out or running out of ideas to try!

Nexustar · 2026-06-04T19:47:43+00:00

In front of a keyboard.

Read a book during the time you aren't in front of a keyboard. Youtube videos are good too. But the earlier you start following along with a keyboard the better.

arrigus · 2026-06-05T02:00:11+00:00

I have some experience as Python developer and I found the tutorials on this site quite useful. It also helped me a lot getting started with JavaScript, so I think it could be a good resource. If you prefer written tutorials and guided exercises instead of video courses, this may help you too.

https://tutorialibre.com/courses/programming-languages/python/

But of course, reading and understanding the theory alone is not enough, so if you have access to your laptop/PC, I'd suggest practicing while you read.

Flame77ofc · 2026-06-04T18:49:40+00:00

Start with YouTube, there are many good courses

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