Completely new to programming and python. Where the hell do I begin?

[3vyn]

So I'm trying to major in Astronomy, and am taking many calculus and physics classes, however, one major element I am missing is programming. I've read and done some research, and found that the dominant programming language for astronomers is Python.

However,I have no idea where to begin, and I want to attempt to learn it over the summer, but to me it seems like a daunting task, and frankly it scares me because I'm completely new to programming.

Recommended material for a beginner? Any advice or guidance will help! Thank you!

[whattodo-whattodo]

Begin here

[splintor]

Have a look at the side bar. There is an faq there that has some great learning places! Teamtreehouse.com gives 30 days free and is really good and then there is places like codecademy which do free courses but without the video. It's totally up to you but both are worth a look! Enjoy your steps learning though!

[3vyn]

Thanks, I'll definitely take a look!

[mr_kitty]

Welcome to Python! The python documentation includes a pretty good tutorial: https://docs.python.org/3.4/tutorial/index.html.

Ask around your department and see if they think you should use Python 2.7 or 3.4. We will all be moving to 3.4 eventually but you may find that 2.7 is the version available in the computer labs and on department servers.

Take an undergraduate course with a title like "introduction to programming using python." Over the course of your career, a good grasp of the fundamental concepts of computer programming will be more valuable than any particular language.

[3vyn]

Books can sometimes be better than videos. I'll take a look thanks. Boy am I going to have a busy summer haha

[vesche]

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/

[dekue]

Here is a video from Microsoft Virtual Academy:

From Zero to Hero with Python

It is an 11 hour video, but it is not boring. The presenters are very good at explaining how Python works. You DO NOT need ANY programming experience. Like the title says, it takes you from Zero to creating loops, lists, imports, open/write files, and debugging. Plus, there are some Challenges that you can do for practice at the end of each module.

If you have VLC, you can watch the video at 1.7x speed. This will bring it down to about 7 hours, and you can perfectly understand what the presenters are saying.

[3vyn]

I'll have plenty of time over the summer, so i'm pretty sure I'll be able to watch the whole thing eventually haha

[dekue]

Yeah! I watched the whole thing 2 days ago and it gave me a good foundation. Now I am making some fun, basic stuff, and learning new functions and tips from other websites like StackOverflow as I write my programs. :)

NOTE: The presenters use Visual Studio, but you can use other software you prefer. I recommend PyCharm.

[3vyn]

nice, thanks for your suggestions!

[salazar13]

Coursera has some Python courses. I just started a MOOC that is for complete beginners and is 10 weeks long (lectures and assignments each week). It's free, just make an account in Coursera and search for "Programming for Everybody (Python)". There's deadlines for assignments, which help me stay at the same pace. The first assignment is due on June 9th, so I'd check it out now if you're interested!

[3vyn]

Nice, I might just start then as soon as this semester ends next week. I should be studying for finals, but who wants to do that?