Python for absolute beginners. "A great way to learn Python"

In 1974, a well known programmer send a memo to a colleague with a program that became the most famous code in the world. And what did it do?

It put the text "hello, world" on the screen.

Before a computer can put that text on the screen, many things must happen! The program needs to be written in a code editor. A programming language needs to be installed. You must know how to execute the code. Then you must learn the command to show text on the screen.

When I started programming in 1984, things were a lot easier. I turned on the computer switch and started typing! These days, things are more complicated and the hardest step to take for my students is...where to start!

What you need is a programming course that really starts at the beginning. That starts with getting "hello, world!" on the screen. And that is what I created for you.

This course teaches developers what they should know when they start with Python. The focus is on topics like calculating, using variables, lists and loops and conditional branching.
These programming fundamentals will not only help you to understand Python but will also be a great introduction to programming languages in general.

Target audience

People who especially benefit from this course, are:

• enthusiasts who have never programmed before and like to explore the field of programming

• professionals who use Python at work for small tasks and want to use the language more effective

• employees who are looking for a new job in IT and are looking for a Python basics course to start at the beginning

Challenges

People who have never programmed before can be overwhelmed with the possibilities in the world of programming. How do you find the right introduction? Most courses are boring or they do not start at the beginning. This causes the aspiring programmer to stop learning.
This course is different. Together we start with the absolute basics like installing Python and choosing a code editor. From there you learn to program basic programming tasks with the help of many examples and exercises. After the course, you understand better why programming is not just keyboard-work and why developers really enjoy it.

What can you do after this course?

• you are able to write your own small programs like todo-lists and address books

• you understand better how apps on your laptop and phone are created

• you can make a decision if you like programming and want to explore Python further

Topics

• Course introduction: What is Python? Install Python and a code editor.

• Datatypes and variables: Numbers and strings. Store values in variables. Combine variables and text.

• Lists and loops: Working with lists, tuples and dictionaries and learning their unique features.

• Selection: Conditional branching with the help of if/else clauses.

• Functions: Combine repeating code into functions that can be called from your code.

• Organizing code: Python modules like datetime and random. Create your own modules to keep code organized.

• Files and error handling: Read and write from text files. Protect your programs from crashing with exception handling.

Duration

2,5 hours video time, ~6 hours including practicing exercises.

The teacher

This course is taught by Loek van den Ouweland, a senior software engineer with 25 years of professional experience. Loek is the creator of Wunderlist for windows, Microsoft To-do and Mahjong for Windows and loves to teach software engineering.

Student reviews

Students of this course tell me:
* * * * * “Great way of teaching Python. The exercises at the end of each lesson were perfect ways of cementing the lesson. I would definitely look into other courses by this instructor!”
* * * * * “If you're looking to learn Python, then you can't go wrong with this instructor and his selection of excellent courses.”
* * * * * “The method used by the instructor is excellent: theory and then hands-on.”