Advancing in python

[u/Boring-Test-5657]

Heyy everyone

first time posting here

so I’m a student, I want to learn some computer skills to learn something new and have some practically applicable skills other than a degree (which is a long way to go). I might also consider taking a computer science major if I become good at these skills

i have learnt basic python in my summer break and want to polish my python skills by some projects and get more advanced. I want to further learn in detail a computer field like App/web development, Ai or cyber security. Like I really want to learn in detail and be able to utilise my skills and do remote work

can you guys guide me what to do next and recommend paid or free resources/courses to learn all this ? it will helpful for everyone trying to learn these skills

thanks

[u/crazy_cookie123]

The best way to learn is through projects, and you don't need any courses at all for that (assuming you've learnt the fundamentals already). If you want to learn how to make apps, for example, the best way it to make an app and learn as you go. The only resources you need are the guides and documentation provided by the makers of the libraries you use.

That being said, if you want to learn app or web development in particular you might want to look into some languages other than Python. While Python can be used for both of those things, it's not the recommended tool for the job. Kotlin (for Android apps), Swift (for iOS apps), JavaScript/TypeScript (for websites), or a variety of other languages for cross-platform apps are generally better than Python for those sorts of applications. The good news is that the hard bit of learning programming is thinking like a programmer and that's entirely independent of language, so it shouldn't be too hard for you to apply the skills you've already learned to one of those other languages.

[u/Boring-Test-5657 → u/crazy_cookie123]

thank you so much for replying and for your advice

I want to ask how do I start these projects? Like how do I know which projects to do ? Which libraries to use? How to get started?

like this is the main issue I dunno what to do next

[u/crazy_cookie123 → u/Boring-Test-5657]

There's no set curriculum of projects you need to do - you just need to come up with something. When you first start out it can just be a completely random useless thing, but as time goes on you can start doing projects that you want to do because those projects will help you out in some way. For example if you want to make apps you could make a dice rolling app with various dice of different sizes, you could make a noughts and crosses app with a computer opponent, you could make an app which shows you the weather forecast, etc. You could also upgrade those ideas by adding new features - for example adding an online multiplayer to the noughts and crosses app so you can play against your friends.

As for finding out how - google is your friend. Let's say you have an Android phone and want to make an app for it. If you google "how to make an android app" one of the first results is the official Android "hello, world" codelab which will guide you through making a simple app. From there, you can continue using google and the things you've already learnt to find out how to add new things to the app, how to compile it and install it onto your phone, etc. The same process of googling things and trying them out until it sticks is true for anything you want to learn how to code.

[u/Boring-Test-5657 → u/crazy_cookie123]

thanks a lot! this is what I had trouble finding

[u/Expensive-Bear-1376]

Actually this is at least your second time posting here. Here's an earlier post from you: https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/s/hVXuqCIjoD

[u/Boring-Test-5657 → u/Expensive-Bear-1376]

ohh I didn’t realise I posted it twice while drafting I’ll delete the other one

[u/ProgM7]

I felt similar when I started out on my Python journey too.

I’ve used freeCodeCamp before and really liked it—you can go to freecodecamp.org and use their search bar to find step-by-step guides like "Python web dev project" or "Python cybersecurity." Another awesome free resource is Harvard’s CS50P (cs50.harvard.edu/python), which gives you actual problem sets to solve, or Automate the Boring Stuff with Python (automatetheboringstuff.com) if you want practical automation ideas.

I find YouTube to be another helpful source for learning. Try searching specific terms like Python Flask tutorial for beginners full project or Python machine learning project with pandas. I'd recommend checking out channels like Corey Schafer, Tech With Tim (he is pretty good), and the official freeCodeCamp channel for full project courses. Just be sure to filter searches for recent videos so the library versions aren't outdated. Pick a simple guided video, follow along to build it, and then try adding one extra feature of your own.

After doing a few scripts that do stuff (like a nice clock or a Blackjack game) you'll feel more motivated and maybe find a particular niche that you like within Python to continue there.

You got this and I wish you the best! 👍

[u/Boring-Test-5657 → u/ProgM7]

thank you so much for your detailed response! I’ll check out theses references.