The Invent with Python Blog

Writings from the author of Automate the Boring Stuff.

Further Reading: Intermediate Python Resources

Tue 01 September 2015    Al Sweigart

So after reading one of my Python books (available free online here and here), you're no longer a complete beginner and would like to know where to go next. It can be hard to find intermediate-level material: stuff that isn't for total beginners or advanced computer scientists. The topics that you should google for are Python standard library, Python object oriented programming, Python idioms, and popular Python modules.

For a more concrete list of resources, here's my list of recommendations.

Continuing with Python

  • The Python Module of the Week Blog covers many of the modules in Python's standard library with practical examples. The Python standard library has a wide range of handy functions ("Guido's Time Machine" refers to how requests for features in Python would often be met by Guido van Rosum mentioning he had added it the night before.)
  • Python Pocket Reference is a short book intended for programmers who want to learn Python quickly. Now that you know basic programming concepts, this short book is a great way to fill out your Python knowledge and explore some more modules without spending a lot of time.
  • Python 3 Object-oriented Programming is a great resource to learn specifically about classes, objects, and other OOP concepts. My books skip OOP since it isn't necessary to get started coding, but once you've been programming for a while it's a must to become familiar with these topics.
  • Data science and machine learning are hot topics in the job market. Data Science from Scratch and Programming Collective Intelligence are both great introductions to these topics.
  • If you'd like to learn Python well enough to become a software engineer, Effective Python: 59 Specific Ways to Write Better Python provides a nice list of advanced (but effective) topics to read up on.
  • The Python Cookbook has several recipes for getting stuff done in Python. Reformatting text to fixed columns, determining last Friday's date, or using callback functions are all things that are possible with Python, but you don't want to waste time figuring out how to do them on your own.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to Python is a brilliant summary of many Python gotchas and idioms specific to the Python language.
  • Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures Using Python is a good computer science textbook to exploring algorithms in a direct, readable text. It's free to read online.

Practicing Your Code-Fu

Moving On to Other Languages

Python is versatile and you can keep going down that path if you choose, but don't feel that you're somehow "not ready" to tackle a new language. If you do want to move on, here's some resources for the next step.

  • JavaScript: All dynamic behavior that happens in the browser is from JavaScript code. If you want to learn to create web apps, getting a basic understanding of HTML and CSS is recommended. The jQuery module is also standard for doing any web app development. My favorite JavaScript books are: Eloquent JavaScript (free), JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development, and (once you have some JS experience) Crockford's JavaScript: The Good Parts is the key book to read to understand the language.
  • Ruby: Ruby is a scripting language and similar to Python. It's noteworthy for the Ruby on Rails web app framework. You can try it out online at tryruby.org, and Codecademy has tracks for both Ruby and Ruby on Rails. But since you already know how to code, I'd suggest the Learn Ruby in 20 Minutes page on the official Ruby site.
  • Java or C#: These languages are fairly similar to each other. Java is the more popular one and a mainstay of software engineering jobs. C# is (essentially) Microsoft's version of Java, meant to create Windows applications. I don't have any recommendations as far as C# books, but Java: A Beginner's Guide is a decent intro. There have been plenty of slight changes to the Java language over the years, so you don't want to get a book that's more than a decade old or so.

  • Learn to program for free with my books for beginners:

    Sign up for my "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" online course with this discount link.

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