If you’d like to buy permanent access to a single Python course, then you may want to consider enrolling in an online class from websites like edX, Udemy, and Udacity. These courses are typically much longer and have more content than classes on subscription-based online education sites. And don’t be intimidated by the prices: You can regularly find classes marked down by as much as 95 percent.
Python and Django Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp
Pricing: $199 Current Price – $7
Difficulty level: Beginner to intermediate
Length: 40 hours
Are you looking to build websites and web apps but also want to learn Python? No need to settle for one or the other: You can do both with this course from Udemy. You’ll learn the basics of building mobile-friendly interactive websites with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Python’s Django framework will deliver the backend to store data for a persistent web application.
Introduction to Python: Absolute Beginner
Pricing: Free or $99 with certificate
Difficulty: Beginner
Length: 5 weeks, 3 to 4 hours a week
Microsoft created this free edX course to promote coding and provide an overview of the language for complete beginners. It teaches you the basics of Python through Jupyter Notebooks, which is an interactive coding environment hosted in a web browser. Expect to learn the essentials of programming including how to reuse functions. After you complete this course, you can take the next level from Microsoft called Introduction to Python: Fundamentals.
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python
Pricing: Free, or $49 with certificate
Difficulty level: Beginner to intermediate
Length: 135 hours
This online course from MIT on edX is perfect if you’re looking for an introduction to computer science with Python. It begins with a general overview of computer science before going into data science techniques. The class recommends 15 hours a week across nine weeks, making it more demanding than many introductory courses.
Real instructors from MIT teach the course through a combination of lecture videos, readings, and assignments. Like a typical college class, you’ll be expected to take tests and complete a final project. Be warned: This class isn’t easy and requires a working knowledge of algebra.
AI Programming with Python
Pricing: $299 ( A bit costly but worth it)
Difficulty level: Beginner to intermediate
Length: 80 hours
One of Python’s most powerful uses is in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This “nanodegree” course from Udacity goes over all the basics of programming and then applies your new knowledge to build a neural network. The course recommends 10 hours a week over a two month period.
Machine learning can help teach a program to make better decisions based on data it consumes. The “smart reply” pre-written responses in Gmail is one example of machine learning and AI at work. According to an MIT Technology Review Custom and Google survey, more than one-fifth of U.S. firms said 15 percent or more of their IT budget was going to machine learning in 2017. So this is a field that’s growing and in need of programmers.
Georgia Tech: Introduction to Python Programming
Pricing: $270
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate
Length: 20 weeks, 10 hours a week
This is an incredibly comprehensive course from Georgia Tech on edX. Not only will you get a grasp on Python, but you’ll also be taught the fundamentals of computer science and the theories behind programming, including variables, operators, data structures, error handling, and data structures. The course delivers all this material through a combination of short videos, multiple choice assignments, and live programming problems. At 200 recommended hours of instruction over 20 weeks, the course is the longest on our list.
Quickstart’s Python Programming: Introduction
Pricing: $400 Individual course and $2,395 for yearly subscription
Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 4 days
If you want a more structured course, this virtual classroom from QuickStart might be the way to go. It places you in a four-day intensive class with other students and a live instructor who walks you through materials, answers questions, and oversees lab work.
This class will go over the basics of Python coding and more advance concepts like APIs, resulting in a certificate upon completion. Indeed, QuickStart promises that you will be “effective with Python immediately after the course.” But it’s not cheap: Seats go for nearly $2,500 a pop.
If you want want to start with python by reading articles, you can refer to our Python learnings starting here.
