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Wednesday 9 a.m.–12:20 p.m.

A hands-on introduction to Python for beginning programmers

Jessica McKellar

Audience level:
Novice
Category:
Core Python (Language, Stdlib)

Description

Beginning programmers: welcome to PyCon! Jumpstart your Python and programming careers with this 3-hour interactive tutorial. By the end, you'll have hands-on exposure to many core programming concepts, be able to write useful Python programs, and have a roadmap for continuing to learn and practice programming in Python. This class assumes no prior programming experience.

Abstract

Beginning programmers: welcome to PyCon! Jumpstart your Python and programming careers with this 3-hour interactive tutorial.

By the end, you'll have hands-on exposure to many core programming concepts, be able to write useful Python programs, and have a roadmap for continuing to learn and practice programming in Python.

This tutorial assumes no prior programming experience.

We'll cover:

  • Python as a calculator
  • Basic data types
  • Interactive programs: input and output
  • Making choices: booleans and flow control
  • Lists and iteration
  • Functions

We'll also practice writing Python scripts, see demos of cool Python applications, and take a quick tour of popular Python libraries.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have the background and context to learn a lot more as you go through the rest of PyCon. You'll also be in great shape to continue learning Python through longer-form resources and start working on your own Python projects.