Reddit reviews Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners

Never liked that book tbh. If it works for you that's fine. Buit for me its tone is way too strict, condescending and most of the time it never explains why some things have to be done the way they are. It's as if the author forces his coding style on you and doesn't bother to give context.

I enjoyed "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" much, much more.

In my opinion; every book in this bundle is a bag of shit.

Here's a list of reputable books, again in my opinion (All links are Non-Affiliate Links):

Web Hacking:

The Web Hackers Handbook (Link)

Infrastructure:

Network Security Assessment (Link)

Please Note: The examples in the book are dated (even though it's been updated to v3), but this book is the best for learning Infrastructure Testing Methodology.

General:

Hacking: The Art of Exploitation (Link)

Grey Hat Hacking (Link)

Linux:

Hacking Exposed: Linux (I don't have a link to a specific book as there are many editions / revisions for this book. Please read the reviews for the edition you want to purchase)

Metasploit:

I recommend the online course "Metaspliot Unleashed" (Link) as opposed to buying the book (Link).

Nmap:

The man pages. The book (Link) is a great reference and looks great on the bookshelf. The reality is, using Nmap is like baking a cake. There are too many variables involved in running the perfect portscan, every environment is different and as such will require tweaking to run efficiently.

Malware Analysis:

Practical Malware Analysis (Link)

The book is old, but the methodology is rock solid.

Programming / Scripting:

Python: Automate the Boring Stuff (Link)

Hope that helps.

One that Id suggest. Im not a pro, but this book helped me tremendously for foundations and has step by step stuff.

​

https://automatetheboringstuff.com/

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https://www.youtube.com/user/Albert10110

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https://www.udemy.com/course/automate/

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37AXMKBUDCHVF&keywords=automate+the+boring+stuff+with+python&qid=1574040971&sprefix=automate+the+boring+stuf%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-2

​

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-2nd/dp/1593279922/ref=sr_1_3?crid=37AXMKBUDCHVF&keywords=automate+the+boring+stuff+with+python&qid=1574040971&sprefix=automate+the+boring+stuf%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-3

https://automatetheboringstuff.com/

(dead tree version of same)

I'm actually writing a Python book for non-programmers on this exact topic. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

It will be free to download under a Creative Commons license when published. You can read the description (and later the book) from here: http://automatetheboringstuff.com/

edit Supposedly this guy is OG in data science. http://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/hitchhiker-s-guide-to-data-science-machine-learning-r-python




My friend has a bio background and doing well as a data scientist consultant. I wouldn't shy away with a lack of math.

I'm still an amateur, so take this with a grain of salt.
I'd also like to share my strategy for learning data science so far.

I have a math background, which is useful but not required. Knowing linear algebra and differential equations, some analysis stuff is useful for developing a deeper intuition into how the machine is learning, but not necessary. IMO data science is a life long journey as it can be applied to many fields. It may be useful to learn more math later on as it get's deeper, but surface level knowledge should suffice.

For linear algebra, I've found the first lecture to be the most useful. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/video-lectures/ It basically describes how we can translate lines into vectors and find solutions. It may be useful for continue learning, but in the beginning I believe surface understanding should suffice. If you're looking to build new data analytic tools, understanding the maths at depth is a must. But if your goal is to apply the tools already in existence, you can get by with a brief understanding.

For example, I have a weak statistics background; for the things I don't know I look them up on wikipedia, various sites, etc. The goal is not necessarily to learn the material as you would for an exam, but to develop a broader understanding of what the material is and how it is relates to machine learning. When I read this material I probably retain only 5-15% of the information, but I read enough to let me move on. Never get stuck on one piece of information for too long. I've found if I get stuck, I can move on and the brain just kind of figures out how it fits into the puzzle.

With your background Andrew Ng's course on coursera https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning should be suitable.

I watch these videos only once on 2x speed. My goal is not to retain the information but to index it. Much of what is useful will be learned by practice, by watching the videos on 2x it's like skimming a text. It allows you to index, that way you know where to look if you need greater depth in the future. For example, you don't have to memorize the cost function, but it's important to know why the cost function is constructed the way it is, and what it's use is.

I then supplement by reading this: http://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com/

and doing these problems http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom/10601_fall2012/hws.shtml

This is the most useful resource I've found tbh:
http://www.kdnuggets.com/

I have a weak programming background, so for learning python I've found this text useful for practice and learning the language: https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994?ie=UTF8&Version=1&entries*=0

This text is very basic, useful in general if you don't have a compsci/compeng background, but doesn't have direct applications for data science. For a more data focus wrt python: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/python . You do not have to pay for any of these courses. Just search for the specific course and enroll, for example, https://www.coursera.org/learn/python-data

That's pretty much where I'm at.
I believe the most important thing is to train our brains to think as the machine would. It's important to utilize our intuition and natural parallel abilities of the brain, as ultimately these are the techniques we are attempting to replicate.

The best non-language-specific programming book I've read by far is Think Like A Programmer. It uses C for examples, but I wrote them using Python as I went through it. It teaches you problem-solving, which is all programming really is.

For beginners picking a new language, I recommend Automate The Boring Stuff for Python. Python is a great language for beginners, and this book will teach you Python and how to use it for practical tasks. The author has also made the book available for free online - though I picked up a physical copy to help support the guy. It's worth it :)

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

There isn't a way to learn to code faster, the best thing you can do is code every day. And I mean EVERY day. IMO Python will open the most doors. you may need to pick up other things along the way but Python is a good base.


---


ABC

Always

Be

Coding

This isn't a book per-say about system administration with python, but it is a quite useful one if you want to get into it.
https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2/146-3820539-3232947?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZDZ3YRPFMWYVRR949Z70

If you like reading and referencing a book while coding I absolutely suggest "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python

Have this book, love this book. I highly recommend Automate the boring stuff. This was a much better kickstarter into learning the program language for as it has real world applications you can do. I tend to drift back and forth between the two books all the time.

Also, good to note, the Author is a redditor ( /u/ehmatthes ) AND posted the book here for free but I bought two copies just because I loved it so much. (Kindle and paperback, I'm not crazy!) If these books came in hardcover, or pocket sized I'd probably own four copies then (NUDGE NUDGE WINK WINK HINT! HINT!)

Good post to read and print

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/4y06nq/beginners_python_cheat_sheets_updated/

This is something simple that could be accomplished with most languages, and it's very simple to do in Python.

I believe Automate the Boring Stuff covers everything you'd need to accomplish the task.

As mentioned, Automate The Boring Stuff With Python is a great resource.  (it's also available as a Book)

Additionally, I'd recommend Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming.

Here you go

Pick up the book “Automate the boring stuff”

Amazon

Free Online Version

And steal a project from there. The draw of python is you can make something useful fairly early on in the learning process.

Edit: I’de go with web scraping. Providing everyone with how to implement the shell functionality described in the book, and see what they come up with as far as a useful web scraper as your open ended requirement.

Yes. subprocess is a standard library (i.e. "baked in" to Python). pexpect is a separate install, but not at all painful. For my own reasons, I'm installing it the hardest possible way and it's literally 3 commands.

If this is something you want to mess with, check out Automate the Boring Stuff.

I'm assuming you just want to learn the basic information about how computers work and the principles behind programming them, right?

In that case, I'd recommend Code by Charles Petzold

Are you looking to actually learn how to program and write code in a specific language? If so, then I'd recommend Automate the Boring Stuff with Python by Al Sweigart. It covers the basic principles of writing functions and how computer logic works, and you'll actually be able to apply it to some practical uses. And since its Python, it'll run on a lot of different platforms. If you like it, you may want to get into working with the Raspberry Pi. Javascript is another good language to start with, but as a book, I really like this one.

If you already know a bit about programming, and just want a general reference book, then Computer Science Illuminated by Dale and Lewis is pretty good.

A lot of people like Python as it is close to english. I like this book. For this kind of task you could also use Bash and just wget the archive they post once a week.

Thanks for linking this, I hadn't seen it yet. As a Windows admin looking to get into Linux, this seems interesting.

Also, for your automation, I'd recommend Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, if you haven't read it already. It can also be found for free here: Automate the Boring Stuff.

I'll add another plug for The Practice of System and Network Information, even if you have a good feel for the philosophical part of the job.

Amazon doesn't like web scraping without permission. I would just use camelcamelcamel to get the same information minus the hassle:

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests
headers = {'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0'}
r = requests.get('https://camelcamelcamel.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/product/1593275994',headers=headers)
print(res.statuscode)
> 200

price = r.text
soup = BeautifulSoup(price,'html.parser')
soup.find('span', class='green').string
> '$24.45'

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525365963&sr=8-1&keywords=automate+the+boring&dpID=517XL4pO6jL&preST=_SX258_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch



This is where i started. Automate the Boring Stuff With Python

This is the best advice here. A coding bootcamp may give you a credential that's worth the price, but the real capability is from your own work/studying/interest. And that stuff can be done for almost free. I really liked Automate the Boring Stuff -- a Python book that provides some powerful tools very quickly.

The bootcamp will be 100x more valuable if you attend already able to code.

Jose Portilla on Udemy has some good python based courses (and also frequents this subreddit). There's regularly sales or some sort of coupon code available to get any of the courses for $10-$15, so it's very reasonable.

For books:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Data-Analysis-Wrangling-IPython/dp/1491957662/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 ... it's not out yet, but due any day. You can also get preview access on sites like Safari Online (which would also have all the books below).

https://www.amazon.com/Data-Science-Scratch-Principles-Python/dp/149190142X/ref=sr_1_1

For general python:

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Crash-Course-Hands-Project-Based/dp/1593276036/ref=sr_1_1

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=sr_1_1

No Starch Press, OReilly, APress and Manning generally have pretty good quality publications. I'd usually skip anything from Packt, unless it's specifically received good reviews.

If you know R, then Python should be no problem. Learning Python helped me learn Java, and now R just seems like another step. I think my Python resources are out of date now, since I was learning Python 2. Learn Python the Hard Way used to be free, now he's charging for it. Coding Bat is cool for practicing. Here's some MIT readings I used too, but again, theyre for Python 2 so theyre going to be out of date. I actually just picked up Automate the Boring Stuff but havent used enough of it to recommend it yet, but it definitely looks interesting.

edit: Here this post of mine from a while back has a lot more Python resources that may or may not be useful anymore:

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFA/comments/6h5566/python_resources/

Python is pretty powerful and has a shallow learning curve for being able to automate a lot of simple things and do some helpful data analysis and visualization. I recommend the book automate the boring stuff with python. Teaches you things like working with Excel, scraping data from different sources, working with regular expressions to pull data from text, etc.

I also feel like there is always demand for spreadsheet wizs. If you want to learn VBA in excel you can record macros while you manually work, view the code and learn from there.

Someone here is a pybro but I can't remember who. Anyway, you reminded me of Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.

That's a good one imo.

Sicuro di volere escludere a priori i corsi/video online? Escluderesti delle ottime risorse imo. Poi dipende anche dal tuo rapporto con la lingua inglese. Se è buono, vai su /r/learnprogramming. Troverai molte risorse utili!

Ti posso inoltre consigliare un buon libro su Python suggerito da molti: https://www.amazon.it/dp/1593275994/

Here, are you on mobile? I don't think it shows up on mobile: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1593275994/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1593275994&linkCode=as2&tag=shoix-21&linkId=47e9d24f55f485a2f9fb3447ced24535

Similar situation here. I have been studying for 4 months now on most free time (avg: 15 hr/wk). 3 days ago I started codecombat.com and have made it half way though that game. It is all starting to come full circle and beginning to really grasp the concepts. It is previous study, and code combat that has brought me to my current level of understanding of python.

Books I have read:

Code: The hidden language of computer hardware and software:

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/073560505X/

​

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners:

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994

​

Android App::

SoloLearn:Python:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sololearn.python&hl=en_US

​

Youtube:

Python programming in one video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4mEzFDjqtA

I have probably watch this 25 times in the last 4 months. Can about recite the whole thing now. haha

​

Game:

CodeCombat

codecombat.com

​

Online Class:

https://www.edx.org/learn/python

​

I have used all of these to different degrees of completion. I think if I had it all over to do again I would go in this order.

• Code: the hidden language of computer hardware and software
  
• Code Combat
  
• Solo learn android app
  
• Automate the Boring Stuff
  
• EDX learn python class
  
• and the special sauce of mixing in the the 45 minute video from youtube when possible.
  
  ​
  
  I am going to try check.io out after I finish Code Combat.
  
  ​
  
  I am not an expert by any means and still have so much to learn. I can feel myself improving, I have no intentions of becoming a full time software developer in the future. I want to learn how to program because I consider it a useful skill. After seeing the amount of time I have put into Rocket League over the past 4 years, I decided to do something more useful with my free time which is limited anyhow, because of work and family. And who knows what the future holds, maybe one day I will be able to make a dollar with my programming skill.

No.

To open up the command prompt, look to the lower left hand corner and hit the windows icon.

In that search bar, type in "cmd" and hit enter.


BTW, id suggest you try, "Automate the Boring Stuff With Python".

Extremely easy read, and here:

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994?crid=2GDSMX268GQHL&keywords=automate+the+boring+stuff+with+python&qid=1536777036&sprefix=automate+the+boring+%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1&ref=sr_1_1



https://automatetheboringstuff.com/
(the FULL book)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFfDDdAPCbA (random review of the book)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F_OgqRuSdI (free course sample)


https://www.udemy.com/automate/
The book CLOSELY follows the course

For Linux: The Linux Command Line: A Complete Introduction

For Python: Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners

For R: The Book of R: A First Course in Programming and Statistics

These are all from No Starch Press, and I really like how they all function as complete introductions to their subjects. I've tried a number of programming books, but these have remained my go-to books for recommendations due to how well they build up basic principals for each concept or language. That said, I feel as though The Book of R is the weakest of the three, and maybe look into other recommendations for R if you get more replies.

EDIT:

Just realized that you asked for courses, not sources, my bad. Either way, I do encourage you to consider the above as alternatives to learning these concepts from online courses, as I've found them to be just as good if not better than some online courses I've seen.

Does your code look exactly like this?

request = requests.get("https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994")
request.raise_for_status

Automate the Boring stuff with Python is a pretty good book that covers some basics of things and gets the creative juices flowing. They also have one for Powershell.

​

The other book that I found really interesting was Practical Packet Analysis. It really opened my eyes to the power of wireshark.

​

And enough can't be said for Phoenix Project. Really interesting read that explains it in a real world like scenario instead of just a White Paper of how to do stuff. Above all else...avoid being a Brent.

Hi,

I'm not an expert but this worked for me.

+++++++++++++

import bs4, requests

headers = {"User-Agent": 'Chrome'}

res = requests.get('https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming-dp-1593275994/dp/1593275994/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=%27',headers=headers)

​

soup = bs4.BeautifulSoup(res.text, 'lxml')

​

buy_box=soup.find(id='buyNewSection')

price = buy_box.find('span', class_='a-color-price')

​

print(price.text)

​

+++++++++++++++

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Is also something you might want to look into. It is a little bit easier than "Python the Hard Way" in my opinion but reading both at the same time is completely doable.

Edit (added this after a bit of thinking):

For CS in general there are a couple of answers, the first is sadly to give up on reading coding literature on the kindle. Most books will make the code unreadable. But that doesn't mean that there aren't things to read related to programming. My first suggestion would be The clean Coder.

But if you are willing to remove yourself from the kindle I have two more suggestions.

First "The Art of Computer Programming" is the extreme answer. It consists of several books and I have tried going trough it multiple times without success. But each time I open the any of the books in the series I learn something new. But the books should come with big warning, these are not easy to read.

Second I would go trough the CS50 course on edX.com, simply put it's the best introduction to CS available, and it is can be accessed for free.

Here are some books to get started (they are available online for free)

​

https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-SQL-Brain-Learners/dp/0596526849/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=head+first+sql&qid=1563487682&s=gateway&sr=8-1

​

https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1P184JBOKVQAL&keywords=automate+the+boring+stuff+with+python&qid=1563487721&s=gateway&sprefix=automate+the+%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-2

​

These books will put you in a position to create some interest in the subjects and then you can read the standard textbooks to go deeper and gain mastery

for sql Advanced

​

https://www.amazon.com/SQL-Cookbook-Solutions-Techniques-Developers/dp/0596009763/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3GKVQHG48HTXT&keywords=sql+cookbook&qid=1563487850&s=gateway&sprefix=sql+cook%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-3

​

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Python-5th-Mark-Lutz/dp/1449355730/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Learning+python&qid=1563487873&s=gateway&sr=8-3

No, it's delayed. If you go to Amazon website, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593275994/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1593275994&linkCode=as2&tag=playwithpyth-20&linkId=HDM7V3T6RHC5VVN4, it says the release date is 12th November so yeah.

So there are several things going on here.

First up is amazon checks the User-Agent header sent by your http client.

››› r = requests.get('https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593275994/')
››› r.status_code
503

If you look at the actual html response it contains stuff like:

<p class="a-last">Sorry, we just need to make sure you\'re not a robot.

It's some sort of "captcha" because they know you're using requests.

To avoid this issue - you can change the default User-Agent to "look like a real web browser"

››› r = requests.get('https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593275994/', headers={'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0'})
››› r.status_code
200

We can do some basic checks to see if offer-price and buyNewSection are contained in the response.

››› 'offer-price' in r.text
True
››› 'id="buyNewSection"' in r.text
True

So let's try beautifulsoup

››› soup = BeautifulSoup(r.text, 'html.parser')
››› soup.select('#buyNewSection')
[]

?!?!!?!?

The default html.parser that comes with Python doesn't always work "correctly" - it doesn't always handle "broken" HTML

If you put the amazon link through the W3C validator https://validator.w3.org/ you'll see it has tons of "violations" - i'm not sure which one is responsible for breaking html.parser - but it does.

The 2 other common parsers to use are html5lib or lxml - you'll have to install those if you don't already have them.

››› soup = BeautifulSoup(r.text, 'html5lib')
››› soup.select('.offer-price')
[<span class="a-size-medium a-color-price offer-price a-text-normal">$21.00</span>]
››› soup.select_one('.offer-price')
<span class="a-size-medium a-color-price offer-price a-text-normal">$21.00</span>
››› soup.select_one('.offer-price').get_text()
'$21.00'

.select_one() can be used if you only want the first match.

I'd learn python. There's much more material to learn from and much higher quality material. Reading any material that teaches Swift will only attempt to teach you iOS relevant material. You won't learn algorithms, you won't learn programming concepts, you won't learn computer science. So you'll be restricted by your lack of foundational understanding. I'd read this book first.

I had been programming iOS relevant stuff for a year before I even learned what an algorithm actually was since iOS relevant content was so app centric. Guess who bombed an interview with Google because of this.

The other book I suggest, to make it more fun, is this. A combination of Guttag and Swiegart will provide a much better foundation than any book written on Swift would.

Also, Python is MUCH easier than Swift. Swift has a feature called type safety is a blessing when it comes to writing quality code, but it makes writing code harder as you always have to conform to a very strict set of rules. Python completely ignores type safety and will just fail and explain why you failed when you do something illegal.

That describes the problem I'm having very well.


I've been thinking of switching over to the How to Think Like a Computer Scientist, it's good to get some confirmation that it's a better place to start.


I didn't know about Al Sweigart. Is this one of the books you recommend? "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners"


Also, one of the reasons why I started codeacademy was because I wasn't sure where to start with the downloading python, launcher, terminal... that whole mumble jumble onto my computer (MacBook Air). Will the two recommended sources you mentioned go over how to do that?


Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for your help.

I'm going to +1 the Automate The Boring Stuff With Python recommendation. You'll get way more use out of this book than you'd ever believe. After reading this book, I started looking for things to automate. I still find repetitive tasks to write scripts for on a regular basis.

Everyone wants to make games, but you'll get way more mileage out of this book than you expect.

It sadly has been like 12 years since I started programming so my knowledge of where to start is rusty. The best thing I'd recommend is to go on Amazon and look for a python beginner book with high ratings.

I'm guessing if you want to start generically you can try:
http://www.amazon.com/Python-Programming-Absolute-Beginner-Edition/dp/1435455002

If you find any of the following areas interesting:

Pattern matching with regular expressions
Reading and writing files
Organizing files
Debugging
Web scraping
Working with Excel spreadsheets
Working with PDF and word documents
Working with CSV files and JSON data
Keeping time, scheduling, tasks, and launching programs
Sending email and text messages
Manipulating images
Controlling the keyboard and mouse with GUI automation

Then this may be interesting for you:
http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/ref=pd_cp_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0PKBV1D3FY5M1JEMZM3P

There are many introductory books out there, and I have not read the above personally but to date I have not been let down by books with a high rating and > 100 reviews.

ALSO it probably is worth checking out CSC108 lectures.

For programming, what kind of programming is he into? Here are some cool programming books and things:

• Automate the Boring Stuff with Python This book has a lot of beginner projects that are actually useful.
  
  
• Arduino A little microprocessor that he can use to make cool projects. I'm a software engineer and I had fun playing aroung with this. Plus, you can use it for actual useful things (I'm planning on making an automatic plant waterer, but you can look online for all the awesome stuff people have made).
  
  
• Raspberry Pi Similar to the arduino but it's a full computer. For more software-heavy projects than the arduino. I'd probably recommend starting with the arduino.
  
  
• Great book about how code and computers actually work that's geared towards the "intelligent layperson" link.
  
  
• If he's already programming and wants to create games I can recommend this one.. Not good for beginners though.
  
  
• If you want to give him a well written tome about game programming here it is. Again, not really for beginners but really good for someone wanting to learn about game programming

I know you said classes so this may not fit what you're looking for, but I'd recommend the book Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. There's a site with the content free here. I used this book to help me first learn Python and come up with some little sub 20 line scripts to help me automate work tasks.

Also check out /r/learnpython, they're a cool community.

I took a free online Python class. Then my wife went to a Web Development boot camp and is learning Jave Script. I decided to switch to JS because she's a great resource. But now there is a free online class in Python I want to take and I bought this book because I think I can use it at work.

Anyway I feel like all this jumping back and forth isn't efficient. Do you think its a bad idea to learn both languages at the same time? Or should I focus one?

CPA turned data engineer/scientist checking in. Used to work in FP&A for a bank handling all their technical needs. Spent my entire career so far between business departments and IT departments.

As for #1, if you like where you're at then try to beef up the technical skills to the maximum you can in that environment. Take the time to master SQL by learning the advance uses (windowing functions, recursive queries) and tune some of your queries that take a while to run. As for Excel VBA, I really suggest you start learning a proper language like Python and use that instead. VBA was my first professional coding experience, but it kept breaking (new office versions, Mac users, windows updates, etc..). I now write Python and R regularly and I wish I started sooner. Start small with scripting then start dabbling in more object oriented programming. A good book to start with is Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners https://www.amazon.com/dp/1593275994/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0BTSybPKF1S0S

Mastering SQL and having scripting skills gets you closer to a technical role than a business role. At a minimum, it makes you worthy of an interview for more Business Analyst and Business Intelligence roles.

As for #2, I need to give you a little bit of a hard time. Just head to Indeed.com and search for 'finance SQL'. TONS of opportunity live at the intersection of finance and IT all over the world. Moving straight to a pure development role will be a challenge, but start scanning the jobs you find most attractive and figure out what your gaps are. Even if you don't plan to leave, use those job descriptions to talk to your leadership about your technical goals.

As for the CPA, IT'S A HUGE ASSET. Sure you may never sign off on an audit statement or be a tax preparer, but your CPA is proof you understand business. I'm now a Senior Technical Manager focused on financial intelligence in the cloud industry and regularly consult with Finance how to solve weird accounting problems. Once you slide over to the technical side, your CPA and your business experience give you a perspective you'll have never had if you started off as pure technical.

I'm actually headed to San Mateo tomorrow and spending the week there. PM me if you want to grab a coffee.

If it has to be a book, my only advice is do the opposite of what I did. I got Learning Python, 5th Edition, which is a huge, dry book. It's great, but it was daunting & more than was even good for me to know about at the time. I would suggest any guide meant for beginners.

I should mention that Learn Python the Hard Way & Automate the Boring Stuff with Python are the standard suggestions. I still suggest a beginner's book, but this is what the community likes.

That being said, I usually insist that people follow this order.

1) CodeAcademy's course on Python

a) It only teaches you things that are essential.

b) It provides you with an editor & a runtime environment. These two steps may become a little confusing later, but it's good to not have to tackle them all at once.

c) It provides training that is still hands on

Note: I specifically suggest doing the course more than once. As many times as needed to feel excruciatingly bored and unchallenged by it.

2) Lynda's Learn Python 3 Standard Library. It is free through the Public Library. It is a series of videos so it is not hands on, but it helps you see what is possible before you're able to write it. Knowing what is possible is a big part of the process. Once you know what is possible, the how is often mostly irrelevant & figured out with Google.

Note: I specifically suggest watching the videos more than once. As many times as needed to feel excruciatingly bored and unchallenged by it.

3) Only here do I usually suggest a book. Any book will do, but once you're swimming in ideas & have been prepped & re-prepped. You should be ready to go.

There is a very good chance that installing Python, picking en editor & running the code will give you a hard time. Python is a pain to set up in Windows the first time you do it. Though, if you're running Linux, it's seamless. Once you get here reach out to me (or /r/learnpython). There are some tricky steps, but once you're up and running, you won't look back.

Good luck. If you have any trouble with any part, shoot me a message.


Edit: I like this guy's setup too. https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/6f7ybq/_/dig45b0?context=1000

Python is easy to learn and you can do actually do it in 3-4 weeks if you give some time. If you can spend some money I would suggest searching "Python Bootcamp" on Udemy(It's the best video resource I have found, and Also go to inventwithpython.com and read Automate the boring stuff with python) . You can find it in 700rs If it says otherwise wait a day or two.

If you want something to read I would suggest Think python or Automate the boring stuff with python. , (You don't have to pay for the book, If you want you can read it for free on inventwithpython.com)

For youtube I would recommend sentdex's Channel He has fundamental videos and videos on many type of libraries. I completed his Machine Learning Videos and they are amazing.

Good luck and god speed.

> then at least answer this. how does the marker know its host soul is the Controller? it has to identify the soul somehow and said soul is also changing and growing.

The marker wouldn't need to know the host soul is the controller. For example, say I have a shirt and I attach a tag to it that has "Controller" written on it, I can do a lot of things, drastic things, to change that shirt---paint it, sew new things on it, cut it down to be a rag---and the tag will still be attached as long as I didn't alter the part of the cloth where the tag is attached.

That's a physical metaphor, but in programming, there are a few different ways to create data structures that work in the same way. To avoid going into too much detail, here are some terms you can Google if you want to know more: "Python" and then one of the following---lists, dictionaries, objects. The first two are pretty straightforward to understand, whereas objects are a complex topic.

If you're interested in programming by the way, Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners is freaking great. Python is a powerful language that's easy and fun to learn.

Okay yeah sorry, I'll try to do more research on the reddit next time. A less knowledagable friend suggested I try my hands on with VBA and, I asked my more knowledgable friends about that and php. He said that VBA is kind of outdated and PHP, although easier, is really specific for what you want, and Python encompass both VBA and PHP better. Do you agree with that?

Also is this the book you were talking about? https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Python-Hard-Way-Introduction/dp/0321884914

My friend said he said he heard good things about this book https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994?ref_=nav_signin&

What do you recommend?

Your English is comprehensible. Computer Science student here, I'd suggest you to look at the following link
https://wiki.python.org/moin/BeginnersGuide/NonProgrammers
Python is an excellent first programming language. Also being "easy" has nothing to do with capability of the language. Python has plenty of frameworks for creating Games. And overall it is a very nice general purpose language to have in your arsenal, even if you do not like programming after the experiment. But I highly doubt that because Programming is Fun! And since you like tech it'll be fun to explore what happens behind the scenes.
A good python book: Automate boring stuff with python by Al Sweigart. link: https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994

Also check out this excellent free CS introductory course by MIT: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-mitx-6-00-1x-11

Check this out. Helped me learn python and apply it. Helps with the sometimes tedious tasks at work.

to put this machine to good use i suggest adding a python book as a birthday present, "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python".

www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994