I would say you are at the point where the next level is learning by doing and reading source code. You mentioned flask which I've been told is high quality code, start reading the bits that you use to find out how they work.
Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
21–30 of 43 posts
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#22I'm surprised not to see my two favorite learning resources in the comments yet: reading code and getting code reviews.
Exercises are great, but unless you have a way of getting feedback on your solutions, you will progress slowly. Practice doesn't make perfect: perfect practice does.
There's a lot of good code to read. I'd recommend starting with Flask - you already have the context of using it. You might also consider checking out something that Kenneth Reitz has written. Whenever you don't understand why they chose to write something a certain way, ask! Both have very active irc channels.
Speaking of irc, #python is a great place to find reviewers. There are (mostly) friendly folks there at any time of day. You'll maximize your chances of a good review by:
1) having a concrete question to ask: "I'm not sure about my use of kwarg unpacking on line 12; would anyone have done it a different way?"
2) providing a small program (or section of a program) for review. People are generous, but likely won't spend an hour reviewing a few hundred lines of code =)
I hope that helps! Feel free to email me if you're having trouble finding reviewers; I'm no Armin Ronacher, but I've written a good amount of Python.
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#23If you want to build something useful, App Engine is a great way to learn Python. That's how I learned :) Also, Pycharm is good at keeping you PEP-8 compliant, etc... The App Engine API was written very well by Googlers and a lot of things by Guido himself like NDB, AppStats, and Rietveld(a sample app that Google uses for code reviews).
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#24I would definitely recommend Neckbeard Republic. https://www.neckbeardrepublic.com/
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#25Heres an applied class integrating Linear Algebra and Python:
https://class.coursera.org/matrix-001/wiki/view?page=overvie...
This session started on Monday (July 1st) and if you have an interest in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, or Cryptography I'd recommend you join us.
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#26Learn python the hardway is a great resource. It'll not only introduce you to some interesting quarks about the language. It's setup for daily consumption building on the lesson previous to it. I've used it and I've used C the hardway.
http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/
There is an ebook available for purchase and video tutorials.
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#27Disclaimer: This may seem harsh but I really don't mean to be harsh.
If you have "only" completed Codecademy or similar, you're nowhere near the intermediate mark. I have used Codecademy and Code School and they are indeed great. But they give a false sense of security and accomplishment to the user. They are great for introduction to a language but they only introduce you to the language, nothing beyond that.
Don't get me wrong, I applaud you for your will to learn programming. I'm not trying to make your accomplishments look insignificant. But I believe that, at this point, your accomplishment is not finishing Codecademy's very very introductory course on Python but taking the first step in the path in learning programming.
I suggest that you take a look at Zed Shaw's Learn Python The Hard Way. The beginning may look a bit too easy, after all Codecademy does teach you stuff. But midway through you will probably see that Learn Python The Hard Way introduces beginner stuff that hasn't been covered in Codecademy.
After that, continue reading about Python. Sadly, the real world isn't divided into categories marked as "Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced". Read source codes that actually interest you. You are bound to come across stuff that you have no idea about. Start reading about that stuff. Chances are really high that you will come across other stuff that you don't know about when you're reading about the first stuff that you didn't know about. You will probably end up reading (and learning) craploads of stuff, but in my experience that's how you really learn stuff.
I have learned this during my journey in programming. In the end, you are the only one who knows how much you know. Don't measure your knowledge by Codecademy's standards. They may tell you that you are intermediate but you may not even understand how a relatively simple library works.
To anyone who will flame me for writing this, try Codecademy's or (Code School's) courses. Try and choose a language which you don't know. Don't read any of the info, just read what is expected of you. You will still pass the course. That is a VERY big problem. I'm a beginner, I have felt that false sense of accomplishment. It hurts a lot when you see what real intermediate and advanced people do with a programming language.
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#28I am in the same position and have the same question. Have you tried following Learn Python the Hard Way or reading "Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist"? Those are to very good resources for learning Python. I would also recommend you try reading up on data structures and algorithms. What's your programming background? Do you know any other programming languages?
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#29At Thinkful (thinkful.com) we're in beta with a python class that covers programming with python, and then web developing using flask. The syllabus overview for the class is here: https://www.thinkful.com/register/syllabus-python
Re: Ask HN: Intermediate Python learning resources?
#30I'm in a very similar position. If you really like Codeacademy, there are non-track exercises that involve Python in the API section [0] and a couple of Python challenges [1][2] that aren't listed. What I'm doing now: * Solving exercises on Project Euler in Python. [3] * Working through each example in the Python Cookbook[4]. It was just updated to the third edition. * Watched Guido's Painless Python talks from a few…
Aren't Project Euler's exercises seem more likely maths exercises? It's kinda difficult for those who graduated from social sciences and tries to learn programming from scratch.