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What's the best online Python course for someone who's never coded before? (self.learnpython)

submitted by MedievalFurnace

I don't mind if it's paid, just looking for something that's enjoyable and informative, especially coming from no prior coding experience, while not so basic that I don't end up learning much

Is there a go to "best" course or not really. I'm also probably not looking for youtube courses, I don't know what to do when they explain a bunch of little terms and stuff but never say how to apply that or what projects are good for practice

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[–]Yuuku_S13 24 points25 points  (10 children)

CS50, FreeCodeCamp are great free options.

I really like Angela Yu’s 100 days of code course (I got my DevOps job through learning to code from her). Tim Bulchalka is great also. They’re both on Udemy.

[–]mantryingtobesaitama 14 points15 points  (2 children)

Honestly, for anyone who's starting computer science, I ALWAYS recommend CS50. It's so far the best CS course I have ever taken. Sure, it's not purely focused on python, but the things the course covers are all things you will eventually run into even when using only python.

Or you could just do CS50p which is only focused on python.

[–]wyltk5 4 points5 points  (8 children)

I did python for everyone (PY4E) on coursera and I really enjoyed it. I found it gave a really good ground work for further learning!

Good luck in the coding journey, it’s amazing what can be done with it

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Comments, continued...

[–]Snugglupagus 2 points3 points  (3 children)

freeCodeCamp.org is a good one with lots of theory mixed in with projects starting small and gradually increasing.

CS50P is also very good. Each “week” starts off with a long (but highly enjoyable) lecture video and then turns you loose to solve a problem.

[–]Silly_Drawing_729 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I've been doing freecodecamp. I dont get a lot of time, so i feel like im reading the theory pages that is just plain reading and im reading it but not really taking a lot of it in.

It can sometimes be days later i then get to a lab or workshop and by that point i cant remember specifics, i will have a general idea of what i should do to acheive what it wants me to, i start to write it out but its wrong, i then have to google for help, but at that point i feel like im just getting the answer and not really learning from it.

Im now on "build a pin extractor" workshop, i havent had time to do the course for over a week because of other commitments, usually i'd have to google for things here and there, but in this i've been pretty much non-stop googling.

I feel like i don't learn well from just reading stuff, i've always learned things pretty easily and quickly where someone is teaching me and explaining things and i get to question things so that they make sense to me in my head.

The reason i went with a free option is, im kinda just doing this as a hobby/challenge and i know i dont get a lot of time to put into it, so i dont want to put money into courses or be paying subscriptions to websites, when the goal isn't to get a job out of it. (should i actually enjoy it, maybe it will but idk)

[–]Snugglupagus 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Learning software Developement/programming is already hard. I understand you don’t have a lot of time to commit but if you aren’t practicing active learning after reading/watching lecture materials, then it’s expected to forget the majority of the information fairly quickly.

Sometimes I will take breaks and come back weeks or months later and have to grind back to where I was by reading the lecture material again.

With that said, even experienced programmers have to look stuff up a lot. It’s pretty normal.

[–]Silly_Drawing_729 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just feel like im cheating by having to look up stuff because i've forgotten it and all im really doing by looking stuff up is giving myself a false sense of progress.

I think i may just try the 100 days course on udemy its only £30.

[–]JanGiacomelli 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When my wife was learning, she really loved https://www.py4e.com/

[–]Ariadne_23 1 point2 points  (0 children)

cs50p is good to start but the best course is just trying to build something you want. you'll google a lot on the way and learn more than any course.

[–]Blob_cell 1 point2 points  (0 children)

vous pouvez aussi installer mimo sur votre mobile

[–]WiredGuitarist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Boot.dev has been really great! But also have a project in mind and work on that alongside your learning.

[–]KitchenTaste7229 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like the other comment said, forget the 'best' course. It's best to consider your learning style first. Do you prefer interactive exercises, video lectures, or reading documentation? Some platforms like Codecademy offer interactive lessons, which are great for hands-on learners, whereas Udemy might suit those who prefer video-based instruction and a more structured, academic-style timeline. Also, what's your budget? Some courses are free (like those on freeCodeCamp), while others can cost around $50 to hundreds. What's usually recommended to beginners though is Codecademy since it has a free tier, is interactive, and progress is usually fast. freeCodeCamp is also free but also more project-based, which is great if you learn more by doing.

[–]Nietsoj77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started out with a free course from Udacity. It was great for learning the basics. There are many (!) similar sites/providers, so pick one that seems good to you.

[–]EnvironmentalDot9131 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unacademy courses are a must. Helped me a lot.

[–]Separate-Canary559 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used Claude to generate a few programming development dojos for me that were tailored to my interests and goals. I found that to be remarkably effective

It doesn’t just write code for it you, it can train you to code. If you ask it to act like Morpheus then it will

[–]Suspicious_Check5421 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://developers.google.com/edu/python?hl=en

[–]G4HDU 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been using Paul McWhorter series on YouTube. Python has several different courses. Also good arduino ones too.

[–]korci007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would recommend the python course on mooc.fi . It is clean with lots of examples and practices.

[–]EverythingIsFnTaken 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://codeinplace.stanford.edu/

[–]TheWhiteCrowUK 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Data camp is ideal as you practice “live”

[–]Rome_Clevan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The freecodecamp and corey schafer’s channel. Also, I discovered this website called exercism.org.

If you’re interested in learning algorithms. Check out Abdul Bari’s video . https://youtube.com/@abdul_bari?si=MAwAw5HrhijnTs33

[–]Bownaldo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started with the Python for Everybody course on Coursera first but eventually swapped to the book version which worked better for me.

[–]bloodytempter 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uni Helsinki

[–]DarrenTapp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm enjoying boot.dev.

[–]OrganizationStill135 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Harvard’s ca50p Python.  8 weeks. Graded assignments.  Engaging content that all lines up. It’s a No brainer

[–]nabt420 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best python course is the one you stick with and actually finish.

[–]Competitive-Link-489 0 points1 point  (0 children)

claude

[–]fordry 0 points1 point  (1 child)

There is a python course built-in to vscode.

[–]MedievalFurnace[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

is it any good?

[–]Agreeable-Finish-375 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have heard a lot of people recommend CS50. Been thinking of checking it out myself soon.

[–]NovaRyen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Automate the Boring Stuff

[–]CheesecakeNew2594 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I donno whether it's fun or not, but MOOC.fi (Helsinki University) is one of the best free Python course in the world, I think. I've learnt here recently. Some lessons in each parts are not easy but challenging and made me improved. From my experience, the more time you watch videos , the less you get programming skills. Watching video lessons is the path to "tutorial hell".

[–]armywalrus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Python for Everybody. There is a paid version on Coursera that gets a you a certificate from the University of Michigan, but the same materials are free on py4e.com. There is a also a book that is like ten bucks. The website has the entire course and all coding materials for free, and it is designed to get beginners with no experience into it. Great course, highly recommend.

[–]leogabac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Python for everybody by Dr. Chuck.

[–]PlusGap1537 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CS50P is probably the best structured free option for absolute beginners every problem set forces you to actually build something, which is the thing you're missing with most YouTube tutorials.

the issue you're describing is real though. you can watch a 3-hour Corey Schafer video, follow along perfectly, and still not be able to write a single function from scratch an hour later. watching and understanding aren't the same thing. you need to close the tutorial and try to produce what you just saw.

i actually built a free site for this problem, learnwithpath.com. it takes YouTube tutorials and turns them into a structured path with quizzes so you have to recall the content, not just recognize it. but even CS50P on its own works great if you actually do the problem sets without peeking at solutions.

[–]brenwillcode 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a look at the introduction to programming course from Codeling. Since you've never programmed before, this will allow you to jump in straight away without having to set anything up on your computer.

If you enjoy that course, then you can continue with the rest of the curriculum that Codeling offers.

[–]ninhaomah 0 points1 point  (1 child)

There never is a best course/video/book for learning any subject because everyone learns differently.

[–]MedievalFurnace[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure but there could possibly be one that's very good

[–]max_wen -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

One that's probably already been recommended 3x weekly in this subreddit

[–]MedievalFurnace[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

which one may that be (I've never been on this sub before)