Robert Johns | 29 Sep, 2023

This Academic Python Course Costs Less Than A College Credit

Are you looking for a python course? Whether you’re interested in data science, AI, web development, or one of the many other fields that use Python in 2024, choosing the right python course can be challenging.

That’s why I created my own python course, Python with Dr. Johns. Compared to other python courses that focus on quick answers, mine was designed to help you truly learn the Python fundamentals and to think like a Python pro.

Python with Dr. Johns Overview

Why did I create this Python course? That’s a great question with a simple answer. I want to teach you the skills you need to go from complete novice to professional Pythonista. 

We’ve all seen the huge growth in Python’s popularity in the last few years in fields like data science, machine learning, AI, web development, and more. In fact, if you’re brand new to programming, chances are you will be advised to start by learning Python.

But why take my Python course? After reviewing other online courses, I saw that many provide quick answers, but few actually teach students to learn the language. Trust me, that’s not good!

Did you know that when interviewing for a Python job, you’ll often have to code on a whiteboard or in another manual setting? That means no IDE and no autocomplete, so you’ll really need to know your stuff and truly grasp essential Python concepts.

That’s why I created this Python course. 

To help you land a job.

In Python with Dr. Johns, we focus on the Python fundamentals, including how to think like a Python pro.

Disclaimer, Python with Dr. Johns has not been designed to teach you to copy my code so that you sort of understand how to code in Python. 

I want you to learn how to use Python, including how to think for yourself, so that when you’ve finished the course, you’ll have the confidence you need to pursue your Python career goals. 

How do I do this? 

Well, unlike other Python courses, I built Python with Dr. Johns with an academic approach.

What does this mean? Not only will I provide you with detailed video walkthroughs, but you will also get detailed notes, coding examples, assignments, quizzes, and of course, access to the source code.

Think of this as your direct access to a college class in Python without having to go back to college!

All you need to take my course is a healthy appetite to learn, an internet connection, and a computer. I’ll then cover everything you need to get up and running, including installing Python and installing an IDE for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Ready to get started?

Enroll in the course for $299.

 

About Dr. Johns

Dr. Johns earned his data experience in the fields of blast engineering and advanced structural engineering. His two PhDs come from the University of Southampton, where his research assisted the Ministry of Defence (MOD). 

His work resulted in the development and validation of scaling methods and the refinement of threat models. With extensive experience in research and data analysis, Dr. Johns implemented computational modeling via CFD and FEA and used statistical production of confidence intervals to analyze and interpret data.

With his courses, including Python with Dr. Johns, he teaches students with academic techniques not often found in an online course.

Python Course Structure

This Python course is most definitely hands-on. That said, before we fire up our PyCharm IDE to start coding, let’s take a moment to break down the course structure, starting with the TL-DR.

  • 146 engaging lessons divided into manageable modules
  • 18.5 hours of high-quality video content
  • Downloadable source code
  • Academic approach with notes, coding examples, and assignments
  • Curriculum designed to help you ace Python interviews
  • New modules and content are added regularly

And since this course has been designed for total beginners to Python, we’ll be starting with an introduction to these fundamental concepts:

  • Command Line Basics
  • Installing and Starting Python
  • Setting up PyCharm IDE
  • Python Best Practices

With that out of the way, you’ll be itching to get coding! Well, you’re in luck, as the rest of the course modules have been designed to get those fingers typing! 

You’ll also have access to detailed notes, video walkthroughs, quizzes, and assignments. This academic approach will become quickly familiar, as it’s been designed to help you truly absorb the content.

So, get ready to take a deep dive into the fundamentals of Python, including: 

  • What is Python?
  • How to be a Pythonista
  • Core data types
  • Variables, expressions, and statements
  • Functions and control structures
  • Python Standard Library
  • Strings, including encoding, traversal, methods, and more
  • Lists, including literals, methods, mutability, indexing, traversal, and more
  • Tuples, including packing, assignment, methods, immutability, and more
  • Dictionaries and Sets, including hashing, methods, traversal, and more
  • Advanced Project to build an AI Chatbot with GPT-3.5
  • And much more that’s still being added to the course

Another exciting feature is that we’ll build our own banking app in Python throughout this course. This will form the assignment component, and we’ll be incrementally building in more and more complexity after each module.

This is a fantastic way to put your newly learned skills into practice while also building a portfolio-worthy Python project. I’ll also be encouraging you to get creative by adding your own features with the help of some suggestions and pointers from me. 

Course Materials

In this Python course, my goal is to teach you the Python fundamentals in a detailed and comprehensive way. 

Remember, this is not about sort of learning how to use Python after copying some code, the plan is for you to truly learn how to use Python and to think like a Python pro.

To help you do this, I’ve put together a range of course materials:

  • Course slides to cover key concepts, including advice on where to find further resources
  • Module quizzes to reinforce your understanding
  • Detailed walkthrough videos, including live coding and comprehensive explanations
  • Complete source code for Python course

What To Know Before Taking This Python Course

Prerequisite Skills

This Python course has been designed for complete beginners, which means you do not need to have any previous coding or programming experience. Of course, if you do, that’s great, but it’s not a requirement.

All you need is an appetite for learning and a general appreciation of how to install software on your computer. I’ll then cover everything you need to know, including installing Python and a Python IDE.

Necessary Hardware

The nice thing about this Python course is that you’ll only need a laptop or desktop PC with an internet connection to access the course content.

Of course, you’ll also need a stable version of Python 3 installed (I recommend 3.8+) and a Python IDE or code editor, but I’ll cover how to get this setup during the first module.

Why Learn Python?

As a top 3 language among developers, Python has developed a strong reputation as being a valuable language to learn. 

But what if you’re brand new to programming and you’re still not sure whether to learn Python? Let’s take a look at the top 10 reasons to learn Python in 2024:

  1. Simple Syntax: Python is renowned for its intuitive syntax that looks a lot like natural language, which makes it beginner-friendly
  2. Versatility and Flexibility: From data analysis to artificial intelligence, and from automation to web development, Python is the preferred language in multiple fields.
  3. Large Standard Library: Python has an extensive standard library (batteries included) that’s fully built-in, including a rich set of modules and packages that remove the need to write code from scratch.
  4. Third-Party Libraries and Frameworks: Python has a huge ecosystem of third-party libraries and frameworks, with libraries like NumPy, Pandas, Django, Flask, TensorFlow, and PyTorch propelling Python's popularity.
  5. Strong Community and Support: Python is known for its vibrant and active community of developers and experts that contribute to regular updates, improvements, and resources like documentation, tutorials, and forums.
  6. Open-Source and Free: Python is freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute, encouraging collaboration and innovation.
  7. Increased Adoption in Academia: Python's readability and simplicity have made it a popular choice in educational settings, from primary schools to universities.
  8. Data Science and Machine Learning: The huge growth in data science and machine learning has boosted Python's popularity, with libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn becoming fundamental tools for data scientists and AI researchers.
  9. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Python's compatibility with major operating systems allows developers to write code that can run on different platforms without modification.
  10. Increased Demand in the Job Market: Python's versatility and relevance across various industries have led to a surge in demand for Python developers, which is probably one of the reasons that you’re here!

Where Can You Use Python?

In 2024, most people associate Python with data science. And while this is reasonable, did you know that you can do much more with Python?

Let’s take a look at 12 applications for Python that you could explore after learning the fundamentals of Python:

  1. Data Science and Analytics: As we’ve already touched on, Python is widely used in data science and analytics thanks to libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib, which help with data manipulation, analysis, and visualization.
  2. Web Development: Python is also popular for web development thanks to web frameworks like Django and Flask, which allow you to create robust and scalable web applications with Python.
  3. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence: Python's popularity has skyrocketed in machine learning and artificial intelligence thanks to libraries like Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and PyTorch.
  4. Scientific Computing: Python offers strong support for scientific computing thanks to libraries like SciPy and NumPy, making it ideal for performing complex calculations, simulations, and scientific data analysis.
  5. Automation and Scripting: Python's simplicity and readability make it ideal for automation and scripting tasks for system administration and batch processing.
  6. Game Development: Though less common than the other fields in this list, Python is helpful for game development when prototyping and scripting.
  7. Internet of Things (IoT): Python has gained traction in IoT development due to its easy integration with IoT hardware.
  8. DevOps: Python's usefulness for automation and scripting has made it a valuable tool in DevOps, including configuration management, deployment automation, and monitoring.
  9. Natural Language Processing (NLP): Python's simplicity and availability of libraries like NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit) has also made it popular for NLP applications like text analysis, sentiment analysis, and language processing.
  10. Education: Python's beginner-friendly nature and readability have made it super popular for teaching programming in educational institutions, leading to its wide use in coding boot camps, workshops, and introductory programming courses.
  11. Financial Services: Python's data manipulation, analysis capabilities, and machine learning libraries have made it popular in finance for algorithmic trading, risk management, and fraud detection.
  12. Cloud Computing and Networking: Python is popular in cloud computing for automating cloud resource management and configuring networking devices.

And if that’s not enough to convince you about how versatile Python can be, let’s take a moment to discuss some real-world applications that are using Python.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Reddit? Yes, that’s right, Reddit uses Python for its Website & API. How about YouTube? Yes, another enormous application that uses Python for its backend infrastructure. 

And just in case you’re not yet impressed, maybe you’ve heard of Spotify? That’s right, this global music app uses Python for its music recommendations. So as you can see, Python is not just for data science!

Ready to sign up?

 

What Are The Benefits Of Our Python Course?

If you’ve made it this far, you must be intrigued by the idea of taking a Python course. That said, if you’re still unsure, let’s review the top 10 benefits of taking our Python course.

  1. Structured Learning: Python with Dr. Johns provides a well-organized curriculum that’s been designed by Dr. Johns to offer a logical progression from foundational topics to more advanced concepts.
  2. Comprehensive Content: Our Python course covers the essential aspects of the language, including syntax, data types, control flow, functions, and more. We’ll also be adding new modules regularly.
  3. Hands-on Practice: Our Python course offers practical coding examples, exercises, and projects to reinforce your learning while building your confidence in using Python to solve real-world problems.
  4. Real-world AI Skills: As part of this Python course, you also get access to an advanced module that teaches you how to build an AI-powered chatbot with the same tools used to power ChatGPT. You’ll also learn to implement machine learning techniques with Pandas, NumPy, and the OpenAI API.
  5. Instructor Support: Dr. Johns guides you through complex topics with highly detailed explanation videos and notes to clarify simple and complex concepts.
  6. Career Advancement: Python is one of the most in-demand languages, and by completing our course, you can boost your employability and career prospects.
  7. Versatility for Various Industries: As we've already shown, Python is highly versatile, and by completing our Python course, you will be ready to transition into a range of industries like web development, data science, machine learning, automation, finance, and more.
  8. Transition to Advanced Topics: Our Python course is an excellent way to learn the fundamentals of Python before progressing to specialized areas like data science, machine learning, and web development frameworks.
  9. Problem-Solving Skills: By taking our course to learn Python, you will hone your problem-solving skills as you tackle coding challenges and projects.
  10. Continuous Learning: Python is an ever-evolving language, and by enrolling in Python with Dr. Johns, you will get access to new content as it’s released to help you stay up to date with the latest developments in the Python ecosystem.

Bonus: Learn to Build an AI-Powered Python Chatbot

As part of Python with Dr. Johns, you also get access to an advanced module that teaches you how to build your very own Python chatbot with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5. Yes, that’s right, I’ve designed this module so that you can build a chatbot with the same AI engine as ChatGPT! 

By combining our Python skills with machine learning, vector embeddings, Pandas, NumPy, and of course, the OpenAI Python library and API, we’ll be building our own Python chatbot.

If you’re like me and you’ve been in awe of the huge growth in AI tools, you’ve probably realized that leveraging AI and machine learning is an excellent way to enhance your resume and level up your portfolio. 

I’ll also be providing my source code so you can use it as a template to build your own chatbot.

Another thing that’s unique about our chatbot module is we’ll be using our own contextual data to generate responses. That’s right, our chatbot will give different results than you’d find at ChatGPT, and it will use your own data to answer questions! 

Think of this like an AI-powered super-assistant that’s been trained at the OpenAI academy of chatbot excellence!

Don’t worry if any of these topics sound new or intimidating, as I’ll be covering the essential skills you need to build this Python chatbot, including how to set up API access with OpenAI and install Python dependencies.

Get access to the Python course and the chatbot module as part of Python with Dr. Johns.

 

Python with Dr. Johns Summary

By taking our python course, you’ll not only learn the fundamentals of the Python language, but you’ll learn to think like a Python pro. Our python course is not about quick answers, it’s about helping you to truly learn this valuable skill. 

And by designing our python course with an academic approach, you’ll benefit from detailed video walkthroughs, notes, coding examples, assignments, and quizzes to reinforce your learning. It’s like taking a college class without having to go back to college!

By the end of our python course, you’ll be ready to apply your Python skills to real world problems. So when the time comes that you’re faced with a whiteboard coding challenge during an interview, you’ll have the skills you need to tackle it and impress your interviewer!

Plus, as an added bonus, our python course also includes an advanced module that teaches you how to use machine learning as you build an AI-powered chatbot with the same tools that power ChatGPT. If you want to level up your portfolio, this will definitely do the trick!

Let’s get started!

 

Python Course FAQs

1. What Can I Do With Python?

Great question, and honestly, the simple answer is a lot! That said, Python is ideal for web development, data analysis, automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more. Take a look at our section on where you can use Python for more information.

2. How Long Does It Realistically Take To Learn Python?

The time it takes to learn Python generally depends on whether you have any prior programming experience. For complete beginners, it will likely take a few months of consistent practice to become proficient, while those with programming knowledge will likely learn faster.

3. Can I Learn Python At 45 And Get A Job?

Yes, you can absolutely learn Python at 45 and still have excellent job prospects. Many employers value skills and experience over age, and Python's demand in a wide range of industries means that there are opportunities for individuals of all ages to secure jobs.

4. Can Python Alone Get Me A Job?

Python skills alone can definitely lead to job opportunities, especially in fields like data analysis, web development, automation, and machine learning. That said, additional skills and knowledge in related technologies can also enhance your job prospects.

5. What Python Version Is Covered In This Course?

This python course uses Python 3.8. However, you are free to use any stable version from version 3.8 onwards, and there should be no compatibility issues. Whichever version you choose to use, you might find it helpful to use a version control system and a virtual environment.

6. What Should I Do Next After Completing My Python Course?

This depends on your reasons for originally taking our python course. That said, we’d recommend applying your new skills in personal projects, contributing to open-source projects, or taking more advanced courses in specialized areas like data science, web development, or machine learning to deepen your expertise and build a portfolio for job opportunities.

 
By Robert Johns

Technical Editor for Hackr.io | 15+ Years in Python, Java, SQL, C++, C#, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, .NET, MATLAB, HTML & CSS, and more... 10+ Years in Networking, Cloud, APIs, Linux | 5+ Years in Data Science | 2x PhDs in Structural & Blast Engineering

View all post by the author

Subscribe to our Newsletter for Articles, News, & Jobs.

I accept the Terms and Conditions.

Disclosure: Hackr.io is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

In this article

Learn More

Please login to leave comments