If you are here, it means you’re interested in learning Python! That’s great! I’ve put it off for a while and now i’m getting into it.
People say Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn, but I’m still not sure about that. Easy is relative. However, if you want to improve your programming skills or desire to get into data science or machine learning, Python is a great place to start.
I often work with Stata and R but I have recently chosen to learn Python programming–starting first with an area (data analysis) I’m already proficient in.
I committed to improving my data analysis skills a while ago, and writing about it got tedious. But now, I need to learn Python for work. So what better way to cement my learning than to teach others through a blog series?
The Python Blog Series
This Python blog series will be useful for beginners like me—people who want a structured, easy-to-follow guide with clear examples and useful explanations.
By the end of it, you should be able to write basic Python code. If not, just search for the 100s of videos on YouTube on the topic.
The plan is to post a new/short lesson at least once a week (let’s see how that goes).
What Will We Cover?
Each post will focus on a specific topic – likely something I am working through at a specific point in time.
- Python basics (variables, data types, functions)
- Working with Pandas to analyze data
- Cleaning and filtering datasets
- Summarizing data with statistics
- Plotting graphs and visualizing trends
- Performing regressions and predictive modeling
We will take it step by step. Each post will focus on one concept at a time. The goal is to provide clear and simple explanations!
I work best will realistic data so I created a fictional dataset we can use. We will get into it later.
Who Is This Series For?
If you’ve never coded before, or if you’ve used another programming language but want to switch to Python, this will be a great series for you.
In the next post, we’ll learn more about Python and try to understand why this programming language might be helpful.
Recommended Python Books
- Fluent Python: Clear, Concise, and Effective Programming
- Practical Statistics for Data Scientists: 50+ Essential Concepts Using R and Python
- Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with pandas, NumPy, and Jupyter
- Learning Python: Powerful Object-Oriented Programming
- Python Crash Course
- Python Programming for Beginners
- Pandas Cookbook