How to Learn Python for Free?

Python’s popularity has witnessed a tremendous boom recently, taking web development by storm with its versatility and readable syntax. It’s the most in-demand programming language that beginners and fast-trackers find fun to explore and master – Python has made programming simple, enabling coders to add a ‘wow’ factor. 

But how to learn Python for free and become a coding whizz to get a freaking job? Let’s unpack the comprehensive list of best free resources and a precise guide we have rounded up to help you get the hang of Python without breaking the bank. 

What is Python?

Released in 1991, Python, the brainchild of a Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum, is an object-oriented/OOP high-level language that comes with dynamic semantics, inbuilt data structures, dynamic binding, and dynamic typing. Its open-source, functional, structural, and reflective approach makes it the hottest coding language that enables programmers to write logical, clean, and better codes that run faster.

Key Features of Python

• Python is a multi-purpose programming system, meaning that you can utilize it to do a lot of stuff besides website and software development.
• It can function as a scripting or glue language to interconnect two software components.
• Python is free and open-source – anyone can download Python source code without paying a single penny.
• Python’s ever-burgeoning packages and modules boost code reusability and program modularity, minimizing duplication.  

Benefits of Python: Why is Python So Popular?

Don’t let Python’s expansive range and scope startle you. It is an effortlessly comprehensible language that can exponentially boost your possibilities of landing your dream job. 

Python’s turned out to be the recent smash-hit coding tool amidst all server-side programming languages overtaking Java and C. With a 30.12% share, Python has become the top-ranked coding language in the PYPL index as of February 2021, followed by Java and JavaScript. 

But why is the popularity of Python ever-expanding? Let’s dive deeper:

• Ease-of-Use: Python may seem dense with a vast ecosystem of packages and library lists to cipher through. But its natural language emphasizing syntax and pretty straightforward layouts and basics make it easier for newbies to kickstart their coding knowledge and jump in right away. Supported by a wide spectrum of web frameworks like Django, pyramid, TurboGears, and Falcon, Python makes the web designing and development process painless. Plus, it is convenient to work with – Python requires no human intervention for task automation or writing scripts. 
• Interpreted Language: What makes Python stand out from the pack is that it’s an interpreted language. Unlike Java and C, it promotes code linearity, requires no compilation, and makes the code debugging process seamless. Being a strongly dynamically typed language, the Python interpreter can keep variables in distinct memory locations – no need to know or declare the variable type before it reaches the run-time. 
• Cross-platform: Python interpreters run bytecodes themselves that make it platform-independent. This cross-platform feature enables programmers to interpret statements in various operating systems (Windows, UNIX-powered OS, macOS) as long as the Python source code and VM are of the identical version.
• Versatility: Python is the culminating coding language that can be utilized for a wide variety of tech-based tasks – from small projects to more intricate large-scale ones, you can handle almost anything seamlessly in Python. Its versatility and scalability make it the pick of some of the biggest gainers of the Fortune 500 companies like Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, etc., for their commercial projects. 

How to Learn Python for Free? 

Are you all set to dip your toes in Python and master it? Let’s look into how to learn Python for free by enrolling in free python courses.

Python.org

Course type: Text-based

Prerequisites: None

Certificate: No

Do you need a quality yet free online Python solution to get into coding and learn to integrate your systems more proficiently? You can look through the official Python documentation hosted on Python.org – supported by 81 languages besides English, it’s a holy grail of Python that contains in-depth free tutorials for beginners and adept developers. 

Plus, you get free access to Python podcasts, video tutorials, FAQs, and the largest community of Python whizzes to grasp coding and troubleshoot in no time. 

Educative.io – Learn Python 3 from Scratch

Course Type: Text-based

Duration: 10 hours

Total Lessons: 80

Prerequisite: Prior knowledge of programming

Certification: Yes

If you want to get a handle on Python 3 without paying a single cent, Learn Python 3 from Scratch – an interactive and brain-friendly FREE study solution hosted on Educative can be your ultimate pick. 

Starting with the basic building blocks, this course walks you through more advanced subjects and topics as you move on and help you develop your first-ever application in Python. 

No more fiddling with complex IDEs or SDKs – Educative is all hosted on the cloud so that you can jump-start immediately. If you are pressed for time and need a crash course to ace Python basics, Educative’s Python 3 can be the life-saver. 

Codecademy – Learn Python 2 

Course type: Video-based

Duration 25hrs

Prerequisite: none

Certification: No, a completion certificate is available only for pro members

Codecademy has carved out a shiny spot on the internet hosting loads of free and paid courses. Its Python 2 course is a brian-friendly, low-risk route for self-motivated and aspiring coders to get their feet wet and master Python basics to build a practitioner-level portfolio. 

More interestingly, the staff members of some giant companies like NASA, Facebook, and Google have enrolled in the courses offered by Codecademy.

Key topics and concepts covered in Python 2 FREE course:

• Syntax
• Strings and console output
• Conditionals and control flow
• Functions
• Lists and dictionaries

Coursera – Python for Everybody Specialization

Course type: Video-based

Duration: Approximately 8months  (3 hours/week)

Prerequisite: No

Certification: No; completion certification is available only for Coursera Plus members.

Hosting 5000+ courses conducted by some of the World’s most renowned universities, Coursera is another chart-topping online-based platform that helps learn and get the hang of Python for FREE. 

Coursera’s Python for Everybody Specialization, run by Charles Russell Severance, Professor, Michigan University, is a string of online lectures that targets breaking down complex coding topics to help coders get a tangible career advantage and ace coding effortlessly. 

The Specialization begins with introducing the fundamentals like databases, data structures, etc. As you move on, it will have you working on a capstone project and implementing your hands-on coding skill to develop your own applications for data recovery, processing, and visualization.

Tips to Learn Python Language Faster

Python is beginner-friendly, fun to comprehend, and won’t riddle you with convoluted syntax. So you can keep exploring and rock the coding world. 

Let’s dig deeper into the guide on how to learn Python faster:

• Nail the Basics: At the bare minimum, you must have an excellent grasp of Python basics if you don’t want to have hard times and get badly stuck while delving into more intricate projects.
• Set a Goal: Python is a general-purpose coding tool with a vast scope in various sectors – data science, website development, game and software development, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data processing, and analysis, and the sky’s the limit. As an aspiring coder, you should figure out the field you are more interested in. So you can pick the essential and related materials, syntax, and libraries to decipher or skim through. 
• Keep Practicing, Code Daily: Once you have nailed the fundamentals, it’s time to set a schedule and keep practicing daily. A thought-out practice schedule acts as the accelerator that keeps you motivated and helps avoid setbacks in your learning process. You can start small with 40-50 minutes a day and then work your way up from there to become a coding master. As a beginner with zero prior coding experience, you may need to invest more or less two months to leap into real-world programming and app development. 
• Install an IDE: While as a novice, you may feel an IDE is not that essential, you will find it a must-have tool as you keep working on large-scale projects. By coupling with the must-have packages, an IDE enables you to script, verify and optimize codes that run and help you become a bug bounty hunter making the code debugging process as seamless as possible. 
• Start Building: It doesn’t matter what you build. What matters the most is how you build it. Start working on the available projects and exercises, modify the codes, and try to create your own version of the programs. 
• Join the Python community of experts to hone your Python skills and troubleshoot when you get stuck.