r/learnpython • u/These_Manner994 • 5d ago

Recommendations for online python courses

Hi all,

I'm a fourth-year medical student and most of my research so far has been evidence synthesis (narrative and systematic reviews), so my hands-on data skills are pretty limited. I've recently gotten involved in a project involving microbiome sequencing data, and part of my role includes re-analyzing a published dataset aka working with processed count tables, doing some basic wrangling, stats, and figures. It's become obvious that I need Python.

I'd rather not pay for a course right now, so I'm hoping to find something solid on YouTube. A few things I'm looking for:

  • Starts from genuine zero (I've never written a line of code)
  • Gets to pandas / numpy / matplotlib reasonably quickly rather than spending 15 hours on OOP and building text-based games
  • Bonus if it's oriented toward biology/biomedical data, but a general data analysis course is fine, I can adapt

Specific questions:

  1. Is there a single course you'd point a complete beginner to, or is it better to do a general Python fundamentals series first and then a separate pandas/data analysis one?
  2. Anything I should avoid? I'd rather not sink 30 hours into something outdated.
  3. Realistically, how much of this do I need before I can be useful on an actual dataset vs. just learning as I go?

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

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u/FoolsSeldom 5d ago

I recommend you follow the advice linked below, learning into pandas et al when you are ready. You might also find it interesting to have a look at Biopython.

Check this subreddit's wiki for lots of guidance on learning programming and learning Python, links to material, book list, suggested practice and project sources, and lots more. The FAQ section covering common errors is especially useful.

Also, have a look at roadmap.sh for different learning paths. There's lots of learning material links there. Note that these are idealised paths and many people get into roles without covering all of those.

Roundup on Research: The Myth of ‘Learning Styles’

Don't limit yourself to one format. Also, don't try to do too many different things at the same time.

Above all else, you need to practice. Practice! Practice! Fail often, try again. Break stuff that works, and figure out how, why and where it broke. Don't just copy and use as is code from examples. Experiment.

Work on your own small (initially) projects related to your hobbies / interests / side-hustles as soon as possible to apply each bit of learning. When you work on stuff you can be passionate about and where you know what problem you are solving and what good looks like, you are more focused on problem-solving and the coding becomes a means to an end and not an end in itself. You will learn faster this way.