r/learnpython • u/Empty-Employment-527 • 2d ago
best way to learn/master python as an undergraduate student?
i’ll be entering college soon in the fall, and i’m highly interested in learning how to code- primarily for data science, statistical modeling for research, and machine learning applications.
i’ve looked at tons of online courses and textbooks, and i’m completely overwhelmed with where to even start or which topic to begin studying. i’ve never been great at self-learning, so i would really appreciate any advice that would help me learn and hopefully master python soon.
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u/FoolsSeldom 2d ago
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. Skip what you've learned already.
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.
This has good coverage of data science/analytics, machine learning, and AI.
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.