Python: Why learn it?

Hi and welcome to the first post on my blog! Here I’m going to be documenting my journey with the Python programming language.

Who am I?

I’m a 21 year old Actuarial and Financial studies student looking to improve my programming skills.

Why did I start learning Python?

I started learning Python because I wanted to be able to do more with my computer. I had dabbled in Python before in a college module and wanted to see it’s full potential. During the summer of this year, I stumbled upon Al Sweigart’s Automate the Boring Stuff book on Reddit and decided the give the Udemy Video Course based on the book a go. He starts from the basics and gradually teaches you a good foundation in Python, starting with functions, lists and dictionaries and then progressing to practical things like Web Scraping, automating Excel tasks and sending Emails.

How should you get started?

If you’re interested in getting started I would recommend first installing the Pycharm IDE, which is free for students! I’ve found Pycharm to be a very easy to use interface, which simplifies things like installing new packages and has other features like code completion and type hinting. After this, I would recommend have a look at the Automate the Boring Stuff website, as this gave me a good foundation in Python and made in practical and enjoyable.

Thanks for reading!