Crash Course on Python (Google)
Crash Course on Python (Google) ranks 5th in the list of best online python courses. This course will teach you the fundamentals of writing simple Python programs using the most common structures. There is no prior programming experience required. By the end of this course, you will understand the benefits of programming in IT roles, be able to write simple Python programs, understand how programming building blocks fit together, and be able to combine all of this knowledge to solve a complex programming problem.
You'll begin by learning the fundamentals of writing a computer program. Through interactive exercises and real-world examples, you'll gain hands-on experience with programming concepts along the way. You’ll quickly start to see how computers can perform a multitude of tasks — you just have to write code that tells them what to do.
What You’ll Learn
- You’ll start by learning about programming in general and why learning to automate things with your computer can be a time-saving skill.
- Then, you’ll be introduced to Python and its features. For example, you’ll be able to identify, distinguish, and convert different types of data types in Python, you’ll learn what functions are and the role they play in code reuse, you’ll learn about the logical and comparison operators Python offers, as well as conditional statements. The course also teaches you how comments can help make your code cleaner.
- Next, you’ll move on to more advanced topics like loops and iterations, and how to avoid creating infinite loops. A brief section on recursion — a fundamental (but tricky!) programming concept — is also included.
- You’ll dive into common data types like strings, dictionaries, tuples, and lists. You’ll know how to extract certain values from them and how to modify them. There is also an optional section on object-oriented programming, where you’ll learn about classes and their instances, attributes, methods, and inheritance.
- You’ll also learn about documenting with docstrings, how to navigate and use Jupyter notebooks, and how to import and use Python modules in your code. So yeah, this course packs a lot of information.
How You’ll Learn
- The course runs for 6 weeks, with each week being 4 to 5 hours long. You'll learn through video lectures and supplementary notes, and practice what you've learnt in weekly exercises.
- Regarding assignments, at the end of each week you’ll have to complete a graded assignment.
Fun Facts
- It is the first course out of six of the Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate.
- The course has around 500K enrollments on Coursera, with about 22K reviews.
- The Grow with Google Initiative this course is part of includes many other resources for online learners.
Rating: 4.8/5.0
Enroll here: coursera.org/learn/python-crash-course