1–10 of 43 posts
How can I take my knowledge to the next level?
Free learning resources are preferred. Hopefully ones you have used yourself when in my position.
Thanks!
At some point you just have to start coding and there you'll push your boundaries. I fooled around online python learning but didn't get far until I built a web scrapper. I completely over engineered a one time use script just to learn... IMHO its what can I build to learn?
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 years ago [5]. I found his concise explanations of language features really helpful.
Some things I intend to do:
* Finish working through Collective Intelligence [6]. The examples are written in Python.
* Work through Introduction to Algorithms [7]. The course uses Python.
* Read, understand and give a shot at extending Openstack [8] code.
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0: http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/apis
1: http://www.codecademy.com/courses/python-intermediate-en-NYX...
2: http://www.codecademy.com/courses/python-intermediate-en-VWi...
5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDgD9whDfEY
7: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput...
I just found out about Neckbeard Republic [2] today - it looks to be similar to Railscasts. I haven't watched any of their stuff yet, but I plan to.
As well as that, look into some of the advanced language features and idioms, and try to use them in your programs, or rewrite old programs to use them.
Raymond Hettinger's "Transforming Code into Beautiful, Idiomatic Python":
http://pyvideo.org/video/1780/transforming-code-into-beautif...
(pyvideo.org has a lot of other great talks and presentations.)
Ned Batchelder's "Loop Like A Native":
http://nedbatchelder.com/text/iter.html
Python Module of the Week is also an excellent resource:
I think Udacity.com has a great list of sources about programming from beginning to advanced. Most of their classes are in Python, but the concepts are applicable to any language. More importantly, they try to teach fundamental concepts that would be useful in a broad range applications. I would highly recommend CS262 Programming Languages: Building a Web Browser.