The Top 5 Websites to Learn Python in 2024
- Dawson Zhang
- Jul 2, 2024
- 2 min read
Python is one of the fastest growing programming languages in the world, widely used in fields such as data science, machine learning, and AI. With the rapid rise of AI over the past year, python’s dominance in this field remains uncontested. That said, from the perspective of someone new to python, and with the many learning platforms out there, the question of what websites remain the most valuable is still up for debate.
Coming in first on the list is Real Python, its user-friendly design and easy-to-follow beginner path make it stand out among other websites. Additionally, each lesson is accompanied by a well made video with code and instruction slides attached.
Beyond Real Python’s “Python Basics: Introduction to Python” course, are additional paths across all the mastery levels from beginner to advanced.
Next on the list is w3schools.com, what makes w3schools unique is its integrated and built in code editor. You can test code directly on the website making the learning process very straightforward. Unlike Real Python, w3schools doesn’t have a path that is recommended. Instead, they divide python into modules that can be learned individually. This approach works well with those who are coming into python already with programming experience, as they can jump around and fill in those knowledge gaps as needed.
Interestingly, w3schools also offers additional tutorials outside of the scope of the python standard library. In later modules, advanced topics such as graphical interfacing, machine learning, and even databasing are covered. That said, these advanced topics are not what w3schools are best known for.
In third is codecademy.com, like Real Python, codecademy offers a highly structured curriculum that covers all the fundamentals and even some more advanced topics. Codecademy’s feature rich platform includes hands-on exercises, quizzes, and projects, similar to something like Khan Academy. Despite its amazing features, codecademy locks you into a very structured tutorials with not much room for flexibility. I know that this may be the very appeal of codecademy for some; however, I believe that the rigidness of codecadamy isn’t well suited for a diverse and flexible language like python.
4. coursera.org
coursera.org is most known for the variety of courses it provides from top universities and institutions. Each course features video lectures, peer-reviewed assignments, quizzes, and even certificates (although they don’t do much). Coursera is great when it comes to the providing reputable courses, but the sheer quantity of these courses makes it difficult to standardize the learning process. In all honesty, with python being a very easy to learn language, these other alternatives without the IBM, Google, or University of Michigan name on their course, are just as effective at teaching fundamental topics.
Although strictly speaking this isn’t a learning website (sorry), over my time using python stackoverflow.com has proved to be one of the most helpful resources when it comes to figuring out a problem or learning how to do something very specific. If you’re a seasoned veteran, or even an intermediate, stackoverflow is definitely not new to you, but for those beginners, don’t be afraid to learn from other’s mistakes.
