I recently completed Reuven Lerner’s course on Python for non-programmers . Python for non-programmers introduces new programmers to Python with a focus on data manipulation and analysis. About half the course consists of building increasingly complex scripts to build new datasets or parse existing data from user input or files on disk.

I chose to complete this course to supplement some higher level Python courses that glossed over fundamental subjects like methods and data transformation. After completing this course, I’m finding it much easier to follow more intermediate level training.

I would recommend this course to anyone looking to get into Python. Reuven does a great job of sequencing data from lesson to lesson in a way that makes sense. He also carefully selects the most useful parts of the language to present first. This course leaves much of the Python world left to be explored, but it leaves the student with the ability to start doing useful things in Python immediately.