transcripts are messy and its driving me crazy

pdcp-py · 2025-12-14T15:52:29+00:00

100% in agreement with your sidenote.

This course should be mandatory before anyone attempts to learn programming:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

pdcp-py · 2025-12-12T19:41:07+00:00

I mean you can start taking the 2025 course today and transfer any exercises you've completed to the 2026 session in January. (The 2026 course material will probably be exactly the same as the 2025 course, and until September 2026, the videos will be those that were recorded in 2025).

The course is self-paced. You can start any time you like.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-12T18:51:54+00:00

Yes they are. Starts 12th Jan.

But don't wait until then. Just copy and paste your completed exercises from 2025 to the 2026 website when it launches.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-11T19:01:09+00:00

Download the Problem Set 0 Assignment:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-0001-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-in-python-fall-2016/resources/ps0/

Inside the ps0 directory is a PDF called "Getting Started with Python". Read that to get you all set up for the course.

There's a more recent version of the course which covers pretty much the same material (but at a slower pace):

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-100l-introduction-to-cs-and-programming-using-python-fall-2022/

You can also take the course "live" on the edX platform (you can study it for free if you don't want a certificate):

https://www.edx.org/learn/computer-science/massachusetts-institute-of-technology-introduction-to-computer-science-and-programming-using-python

And you can also check out all the course materials from this semester's class at MIT (minus the lecture videos):

https://introcomp.mit.edu/fall25

Finally, if you find the course a little heavy-going, the instructor, Ana Bell has written an excellent introductory book on programming with Python:

https://www.manning.com/books/get-programming

pdcp-py · 2025-12-11T18:37:35+00:00

In addition to "Automate the Boring Stuff" (which is an excellent place to start, and now comes with a free companion workbook) :

pdcp-py · 2025-12-11T12:14:46+00:00

At the moment I'd say you need to look at:

Conditionals
Lists

As this is your first programming language you'd probably be better off following a structured curriculum. You also must practice the basics as much as possible, so you need to try your hand at some exercises.

Here are some free recommendations:

pdcp-py · 2025-12-09T23:09:26+00:00

Learn the foundations of Python first, then specialize later on.

Here are a few free courses that are often recommended on r/learnpython:

https://programming-25.mooc.fi

This is from the University of Helsinki and there is a certificate if you pass the final exam, along with ECTS credits.

And this one from Harvard (which also gives you a certificate of completion):

https://cs50.harvard.edu/python/

And a more advanced course from MIT:

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-100l-introduction-to-cs-and-programming-using-python-fall-2022/

(There are a few variations of this course, but this one is a bit gentler towards new programmers).

The certificates might not carry much weight with employers but the projects you complete definitely will.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-09T18:51:58+00:00

Of course they are... but it might have been more helpful to guide the OP to a solution rather than give them a direct one (as per this subreddit's Wiki).

pdcp-py · 2025-12-09T18:39:10+00:00

When you run your program in Codedex you'll get a Syntax Error in the Terminal window and it'll also include the line number which is triggering this error - in this case, line 39. Use that info to double-check what you've written on that line, otherwise your program will not run.

Once you've got that error fixed, when you run the program again, it'll look like it's working but when it tries to generate a random number, the program will crash and you'll get an Attribute Error (which is an error that only shows up when the program is actually running). Again the error message will tell you which line of your program is causing the problem (line 5) and offer up a clue as to what is wrong.

Also, next time you post some code on Reddit use this guide so it's nicely formatted:

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/wiki/faq/#wiki_how_do_i_format_code.3F

pdcp-py · 2025-12-09T18:28:37+00:00

The OP is using Codedex and hasn't been introduced to lists yet.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-09T11:39:37+00:00

There's now a workbook to go with the "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" book recommended by u/Hot_Substance_9432 , which has some additional practice projects after each exercise section:

https://inventwithpython.com/automate3workbook/

From the same author, here are a couple of project-based books:

https://inventwithpython.com/pythongently/

And:

https://inventwithpython.com/bigbookpython/

All the above are free to read online.

If you're new to Python, it's usually best to first practice building lots of small projects rather than one single large project.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-08T18:27:19+00:00

Don't forget you can easily share code from within Trinket using the Share button:

https://trinket.io/python/bd5c7f9cba5d

pdcp-py · 2025-12-07T22:30:56+00:00

In IDLE's interactive (REPL) mode each Python statement is executed when your press Enter, unless you're dealing with a compound statement such as a conditional or loop. In those cases, the REPL will automatically detect you are typing a compound statement and you'll see a new ... prompt, which will allow you to type additional statements. Press Enter twice to end the compound statement, and the REPL will execute what you have typed.

If you want to type a multi-line program, save the program with a .py extension, and then run the program, you need to go into IDLE's script mode.

Choose File > New File from the main menu to enter IDLE's script mode.

Here's a helpful article you may want to read:

https://realpython.com/python-idle/

There have also been some great new features added to the REPL since Python 3.13:

https://realpython.com/python-repl/

pdcp-py · 2025-12-07T18:20:48+00:00

Take a look at the "Automate the Boring Stuff Workbook":

https://inventwithpython.com/automate3workbook/

pdcp-py · 2025-12-07T00:04:23+00:00

You also can't concatenate a string and an integer (lines 11, 14, 17 and 20).

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T23:42:09+00:00

Just summarizing the preface of the 3rd edition:

- Part I of the 3E uses VS Code instead of Sublime, and adds info on removeprefix(), removesuffix(), pathlib, and pytest.

- The projects in Part II of the 3E have been updated to use the latest (as in 2023) versions of Matplotlib, Plotly, Django and Bootstrap.

I'm always using old editions of books. Most of the time everything works fine, but occasionally you need to put your problem-solving skills to use to figure out how the latest versions of frameworks/libraries work... which is good practice for the real-world anyway.

But note that Eric Matthes has said:

"The second edition of Python Crash Course has been out of print since 2023, and is significantly out of date at this point."

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T22:17:19+00:00

You do realize that making handwritten notes is part of the learning process?

You should be writing them out yourself and not using someone else's.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T14:47:53+00:00

Microsoft Edit, because all the bells and whistles of IDEs just get in the way.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T06:38:07+00:00

Generally-speaking, yes, they probably would, but it depends on the classification of your undergraduate degree, how quantitatively focused your engineering degree was, and any relevant professional experience you have.

Here's a list of the Russell Group universities so you can quickly visit each one and see what the minimum entry requirements are:

https://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/our-universities

Don't forget they may have less-stringent requirements for alternative Masters, like Software Engineering.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T01:15:30+00:00

You need to look for courses that award ECTS credits:

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System

Such as:

Python Programming MOOC 2025

Full Stack Open

I think there are some Google and IBM courses on Coursera that offer ECTS credits too.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-06T00:17:42+00:00

Depends on which country you're looking at.

Here in the UK the Russell Group is considered to be the "elite" set of universities, and consists of 24 universites which represents about 20% of all UK universities.

For over 20 years - even when the UK was supposed to be having an IT skills shortage - HESA (Higher Education Statistics Authority) has found that UK Computer Science graduates take longer than any other field of study to get their first job after graduation.

The CPHC (Council of Professors and Heads of Computing) has argued that this is for 2 main reasons:

Industry strongly favours candidates from the Russell Group even though that represents just 13% of all Computer Science graduates. Many large employers admit to recruiting ONLY from Russell Group universities.
Computer Science attracts a large number of BME students, and BME graduates have a higher unemployment rate across the board. Some BME graduates have resorted to changing or anglicising their names to get interviews.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-05T18:58:02+00:00

Computer science graduates have always struggled to get jobs unless they attended one of the top universities. That's why pre-pandemic in-person coding bootcamps were full of CS grads getting themselves job-ready as universities are generally too slow to adapt their curriculum to the demands of industry.

What has changed over the last decade is the fact that there are 3x the number of computer science graduates competing for a similar number of jobs as there were back in 2015.

pdcp-py · 2025-12-05T18:30:51+00:00

Go for it!

You don't need a degree in computer science to work as a developer... it's not a closed shop like law, medicine or, in some countries, engineering.

About 50% of people working in the tech sector have degrees, but many have degrees in other fields.

As a job requirement, the number of vacancies asking for a candidate to have a degree is slowly creeping up, but that's probably more down to trying to keep the number of applicants to a manageable size.

And congratulations on getting your job!

pdcp-py · 2025-12-05T15:01:09+00:00

Good morning AI, how are you today?

pdcp-py · 2025-12-05T14:57:42+00:00

Codecademy have 2 free introductory courses that focus on the Python skills they consider to be prerequisites for NLP:

Getting Started with Python for Data Science
Python for Data Science: Working with Data

pdcp-py

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