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It’s not necessary to go into debt if you want to master Python. Many online courses are free. When researching for this article, I was honestly surprised by the quality and the choice of free online Python courses. These are my recommendations.
# 1. Python Full Course for Beginners (Dave Gray)
- Platform: YouTube
- Level: Beginner
- Why Take It: Ideal if you’re starting from zero and want a single video to build a strong foundation.
What You’ll Learn: This course by Dave Gray covers the following topics:
- Core Python syntax and logic: Variables, data types, operators, conditionals, loops, and user input.
- Functions and data: Functions, scope, recursion, lambda functions, and common data structures like lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets.
- File and module operations: Reading/writing files, using external modules, command-line arguments, and setting up virtual environments.
- Object-oriented programming (OOP): Classes, objects, exceptions, and a mini-project to apply OOP concepts.
- Hands-on coding practice: Challenges throughout the course to reinforce what you learn.
At the end of the video, there’s also a final project for you to complete, where you’ll build a web app in Flask.
# 2. Learn Python – Full Course for Beginners (freeCodeCamp)
- Platform: YouTube
- Level: Beginner
- Why Take It: It’s a 4-hour crash course with no fluff, just straight-to-the-point explanations of essential Python topics for beginners.
What You’ll Learn: This course explains the following concepts:
- Python fundamentals: Variables, data types, strings, numbers, user input, and basic control flow (if, loops, comparisons).
- Data structures and functions: Lists, tuples, dictionaries, functions, return values, and nested structures.
- Projects and games: Build interactive programs like calculators, Mad Libs, guessing games, and quizzes.
- Files, modules, and environment setup: Read/write files, use modules and pip, and work with PyCharm and the Python interpreter.
- Object-oriented programming: Create classes, use methods, apply inheritance, and organize code using OOP.
- Error handling and comments: Write cleaner, more robust code with try/except and inline documentation.
# 3. Python Full Course (Bro Code)
- Platform: YouTube
- Level: Beginner
- Why Take It: Bro Code covers the Python basics in a fast-paced, no-nonsense format. His visual examples and short exercises make it easy to follow.
What You’ll Learn: This course teaches you:
- Core Python programming: Variables, type casting, user input, math operations, string methods, indexing, conditionals, loops, and logical operators.
- Functions and advanced syntax: Function arguments (*args, **kwargs), decorators, list comprehensions, match-case statements, scope resolution, and modules.
- Object-oriented programming: Classes, inheritance (including multiple), polymorphism, static/class methods, magic methods, @property, and duck typing.
- Data structures and control flow: Lists, sets, tuples, dictionaries, 2D collections, iterables, and membership testing.
- Working with files and exceptions: File read/write operations, file detection, exception handling, and working with dates and times.
- Multithreading and APIs: Run concurrent code, interact with APIs, and fetch external data (e.g., weather app).
- GUI development with PyQt5: Learn GUI fundamentals, such as layout managers, widgets (buttons, checkboxes, inputs), styling with CSS, and build interactive desktop apps.
- Projects and real-world practice: Build 15+ mini-projects like calculators, games (Hangman, Rock-Paper-Scissors), encryption tools, banking apps, digital clocks, and more.
# 4. CS50’s Introduction to Programming With Python (Harvard)
- Platform: edX
- Level: Beginner to intermediate
- Why Take It: Emphasizes problem-solving and clean code writing; goes beyond just teaching you syntax.
What You’ll Learn: This Harvard video course covers the following topics:
- Programming fundamentals: Functions, variables, conditionals, loops, and exception handling.
- Working with files and text: File input/output and regular expression basics.
- Modular, testable code: Using libraries and writing unit tests.
- OOP: Learn to use classes and objects to build code.
For each topic, there’s a main lecture video and shorts. You submit a problem set at the end of each lecture, and there’s also a final project to complete.
# 5. Automate the Boring Stuff With Python (Al Sweigart)
- Platform: Automate the Boring Stuff
- Level: Beginner to intermediate
- Why Take It: This book is made available for free by its author. It teaches Python by automating repetitive computer tasks, which makes it practical and immediately applicable to real life.
What You’ll Learn: By reading this book, you’ll learn:
- Core programming skills: Python basics, flow control, loops, functions, debugging, and working with lists, dictionaries, and strings.
- Text and file processing: Regular expressions, file I/O, CSV/JSON/XML, PDF, and Word docs, and text manipulation.
- Automation and scripting: Build command-line tools, schedule tasks, control keyboard/mouse, and interact with web pages and emails.
- Data from external sources: Web scraping, Google Sheets, Excel, and SQLite databases.
- Building interactive programs: Send notifications, generate graphs, process images, use speech engines, and perform OCR (text recognition in images).
# 6. Learn Python
- Platform: Kaggle
- Level: Beginner to intermediate
- Why Take It: Short interactive lessons with real-world data. Especially useful if you’re headed toward data science or machine learning.
What You’ll Learn: This course teaches you the following concepts:
- Python fundamentals: Syntax, variable assignment, number operations, and core data types like lists, strings, and dictionaries.
- Control flow and logic: Booleans, conditionals, loops, and list comprehensions.
- Functions and modular code: Use built-in functions and define your own for reusable, clean code.
- Working with libraries: Import and use external Python libraries to extend your programs.
# 7. Scientific Computing With Python
- Platform: freeCodeCamp
- Level: Beginner to intermediate
- Why Take It: This Python course is part of freeCodeCamp’s core certification path. It’s interactive, browser-based, and involves learning by doing projects.
What You’ll Learn: This comprehensive course consists of the following modules and projects:
- Core programming concepts: Work with strings, numbers, conditionals, and functions through practical projects like ciphers, arithmetic formatters, and time calculators.
- Algorithms and logic building: Apply algorithmic thinking with the Luhn algorithm, bisection method, shortest path, recursion (Tower of Hanoi), and tree traversal.
- Data structures and comprehension: Use lists, list comprehensions, and trees while solving real problems like case conversion and binary search trees.
- Object-oriented programming: Build classes, use encapsulation, special methods, and interfaces in projects like a Sudoku solver, vector space, and equation solver.
- Regular expressions and utilities: Learn regex and utility methods through building tools like a password generator and probability calculator.
# 8. Python Tutorial
- Platform: W3Schools
- Level: Beginner to advanced
- Why Take It: Interactive, fast, and easy to follow, covering a very broad range of Python topics.
What You’ll Learn: This tutorial will walk you through the following concepts:
- Core Python syntax and logic: Variables, data types, operators, conditionals (if, match), loops, functions, lambdas, and scope.
- Data structures and collections: Lists, tuples, sets, dictionaries, arrays, and iterators.
- Object-oriented programming: Classes, inheritance, polymorphism, and modular code design.
- Practical tools and workflows: File handling, string formatting, user input, virtual environments, exception handling, and working with dates, math, JSON, and regular expressions.
- Popular libraries and frameworks: NumPy, pandas, SciPy, Matplotlib, Django, and machine learning basics.
- Databases and backend integration: Interact with MySQL and MongoDB using Python.
- Computer science foundations: Algorithms, data structures, and how they apply in Python.
# 9. Google’s Python Class
- Platform: Google for Education
- Level: Intermediate
- Why Take It: A hands-on course with downloadable lecture notes and exercises created by Google engineers.
What You’ll Learn: This course covers the following topics:
- Core data handling: Strings, lists, tuples, dictionaries, and sorting techniques.
- File and text processing: Reading/writing files and working with regular expressions.
- System and web utilities: Using OS commands, handling URLs/HTTP requests, and managing exceptions.
# 10. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming in Python
- Platform: MIT OpenCourseWare
- Level: Intermediate to advanced
- Why Take It: This is a very highly respected course by three MIT professors. It provides 12 video lessons, lecture slides and code, video solutions, and problem sets.
What You’ll Learn: The course covers the following topics:
- Foundations of computation: Understanding how computers solve problems using logic, branching, and iteration.
- Core programming skills: String manipulation, functions, recursion, lists, tuples, and dictionaries.
- Program design and structure: Decomposition, abstraction, mutability, cloning, and object-oriented programming with classes and inheritance.
- Problem-solving techniques: Approximation, guess-and-check, bisection, searching, and sorting.
- Writing reliable code: Learn testing, debugging, exception handling, assertions, and efficiency analysis.
# Conclusion
With these ten online courses, you’re guaranteed to get high-quality Python knowledge. Luckily, you don’t need money for that — only some time and effort.
Nate Rosidi is a data scientist and in product strategy. He’s also an adjunct professor teaching analytics, and is the founder of StrataScratch, a platform helping data scientists prepare for their interviews with real interview questions from top companies. Nate writes on the latest trends in the career market, gives interview advice, shares data science projects, and covers everything SQL.
