🔒 Course Suggestions | Python | Page 1

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:10 AM

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Hey! I am completely new to programming, I'm coming from pre-Med lol. I have some familiarity with programming, but it is quite limited. Some how, some way, a prof decided to give me a chance and now I'm a part of his lab doing Computer Vision stuff. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good, free course(s) for learning Python for ML? There's just so many, I'm having trouble choosing 😅

Thanks in advance!

half trellisBOT May 17, 2024, 7:10 AM

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fathom scarab Hey! I am completely new to programming, I'm coming from pre-Med lol. I have som...

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@fathom scarab

Python help channel opened

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whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:18 AM

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fathom scarab Hey! I am completely new to programming, I'm coming from pre-Med lol. I have som...

Do you know any python already?

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:19 AM

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Nope, I'm 100% new to Python

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I know some very basic C++ tho, if that helps!

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:19 AM

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I wouldn't jump right into a ML course then. It's not a beginner friendly topic. Start with any beginner/basics course, and then once you have a solid foundation, you can get into ML

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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I see, I sort-of figured that ML would prolly come after learning Python first as I was not personally able to find an "all-in-one" course

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Still, any suggestions for Python and ML courses separately?

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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Yes, it's quite an advanced topic so it wouldn't really make sense to teach in together with beginner material

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!resources

half trellisBOT May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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Resources

The Resources page on our website contains a list of hand-selected learning resources that we regularly recommend to both beginners and experts.

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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I-

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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We have a curated list of resources here

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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-did not see that

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Mb

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:21 AM

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No worries

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I don't know any ML personally, but my recommendation for beginner material is always Automate The Boring Stuff

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https://automatetheboringstuff.com/

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:22 AM

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Interesting!

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And since I have the great fortune of being surrounded by ppl who do ML as a vocation, I'm sure I'd be able to learn ML from them via osmosis

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Or, at least be able to on my own once I actually know the language lol

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:23 AM

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Yup exactly. No matter what you plan on doing with python, everyone needs to know the basics

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:24 AM

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That's actually another question I had: how do CS majors just--learn stuff on their own like that? I know it sounds really odd, but hear me out: I've been looking at other stuff too, like R, ML, DSA, and all of that. It all looks really intimidating. I hear a lot of CS majors around me just tell me "to do it" and that it's not too hard. But, I feel like it is

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Can I get a sanity check, please?

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:25 AM

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A lot of programming principles carry over from language to language. "Thinking like a programmer" is a skill all on its own. The language is just the tool that lets you put your ideas into action

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I always say coding is the easy part, it's the ideas that are hard

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I wrote a script for a friend the other day that helped him immensely. There was nothing stopping me from writing it before now other than "I hadn't thought of it"

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:27 AM

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Hm, I see

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:27 AM

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Writing new programs involves extrapolating on your own knowledge

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:27 AM

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I see

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:27 AM

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No programmer just knows everything, but we learn how to approach a new task, how to do the research, how to structure the code, etc

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:28 AM

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I mean, I've been able to get through a college-level intro to C++ course, which is fine, but when it comes to the upper-level stuff, I feel like I'm not understanding it when I should be

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:28 AM

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for the script I wrote previously, it featured a lot of stuff I was unfamiliar with, so I spent a few hours writing functions just to make sure that I understood what needed to happen

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:28 AM

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And what I usually get where I am at rn is, "oh, it's easy"

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Aaaaaand they end up just telling me I should know it all alr

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:28 AM

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and I could run those functions and confirm their results. If the results matched what I expected, then that proves to myself that I understood the material well enough

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It's like saying English is easy

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to an english speaker, yes, you've just internalized it and you don't really have to think about it

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:29 AM

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whole gazelle and I could run those functions and confirm their results. If the results matche...

I see, I really appreciate that analogy! It helps me visualize the process better

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:29 AM

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it's the same with Python. I've worked with it long enough that it's second nature

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but it took awhile to get to this point

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:31 AM

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Got'cha

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If I may ask, how long did it take for you?

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:32 AM

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knowledge isn't really a black and white thing like "you know it or you don't"

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I've been using python for 6+ years now, but I've used it pretty much daily since I started

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I would say I was comfortable with the very basics after a few months

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but it took years to get to writing well structured and reliable code

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:34 AM

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I see

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I really appreciate your insights!

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Ngl, I was contemplating switching out of CS with everything I was being told

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Your explanation gave me some hope to stick with it lol

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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I'm entirely self taught btw

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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Really!

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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I didn't go through a CS course

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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Wow

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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I went to school for animation

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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Impressive

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I was formerly pre-med for a year when I first went to uni

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:35 AM

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so most people would probably learn quicker with a proper structure curriculum

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but I worked with a few people who knew python and I was constantly asking them questions, haha

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:37 AM

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I see

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Thank you so much for your help! I'm looking through the link you sent rn

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:39 AM

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Np!

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:39 AM

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Looking forward to learning!

whole gazelle May 17, 2024, 7:39 AM

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Always feel free to ask questions in these help threads if you're unsure of something

fathom scarab May 17, 2024, 7:39 AM

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Got it!

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Ty!

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!close

half trellisBOT May 17, 2024, 7:39 AM

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Python help channel closed

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#🔒 Course Suggestions