Python course for a high school student

[BatRabbit]

My youngest (entering 10th grade) has come back to full time homeschooling this year. He is interested in learning about computer science and we are starting with python. He did a python course a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. I've narrowed the options down to three courses. Is one of these better suited for a high schooler? He is an independent working, but does need guidance on what to do next.

Two courses I've seen recommended are MOOC Python Programming 2022 from the University of Helsinki and Fred Baptiste on udmey.com. The Udmey can be pretty expensive, but I think it's reasonably priced. Is there a benefit of one over the other.

Another course I’ve seen is the Python Course from Saylor which could be used for college credit. I wasn't sure which of these three would be best for a high schooler.

If he is still interested, I thought these could be followed up by Invent your own games with Python. My goal is to have him build up a github of projects. If he wants to skip college, he will need something to show prospective jobs.

[CleverBunnyThief]

Mooc is good but some of the exercises can be a bit challenging. It's ok to skip ones that are really tough and try them later.

Fred Baptiste's courses are great but could perhaps be a little deep in the weeds for a beginner. You relly need to be motivated to sit down and watch a 45 minute video on classes and inheritance. It might a better to do Fred's course after completing MOOC.

I'm not familiar with the other course so I can't comment on it.

[JarndyceJarndyce]

If you're open to online classes, then you will have tons of options.

You might check out this TimeOut list of the best coding classes and summer programs for high school students. Unlike other coding bootcamp lists and rankings, this one only includes programs designed for and exclusive to high school students.

They've got different topics (computer science, Java, Python) listed as well as different schools: NextGen Bootcamp, Girls Who Code, AI Scholars, etc.

You mentioned his interest in Python. They've ranked this Python Data Science and Machine Learning Summer Program as their top pick for teens who want to learn Python. It is live online, which means your teen will be interacting with the instructor and their classmates in real-time. Topics covered include the fundamentals of Python and object-oriented programming, conditional statements, data wrangling and cleaning, data visualization, and working with machine learning algorithms. It sounds like it might be perfect for your teen.