Learning to program is a skill worth learning if you are looking for an in-demand skill. Coding is one of the most important job skills of the modern-day and will likely continue to be important in the future. It is an in-demand skill that will be valuable across all different kinds of industries. These include finance, technology, manufacturing and more. However, learning to program isn’t always easy to start.
First of all, there are a ton of different programming languages and disciplines, each with their own benefits and uses. Many of them have a lot of support and are used all over the world. So how do you know which to use and learn? Well, that will depend on what you want to do with your coding knowledge.
If you want an option that is capable of doing a lot of things in the modern-day, consider Python. It is one of the fastest growing programming languages and is incredibly popular among the young and old generations alike. However, like any language, learning Python isn’t always easy and can be time-consuming. Thankfully, there are many online resources that can help. For example, if you search through Python feed on DaniWeb, you will find a lot of helpful material and discussion. The internet is a wealth of knowledge on Python and coding itself, so be sure to use it.
One of the best ways to learn or hone your skills is to work on small programming projects. Actually doing the work and going through the motions will teach you more than simply reading about programming and hitting the books. With that in mind, this article is going to look at a few simple programming projects for Python beginners to take on to improve your skills and knowledge.
A Basic Website
If the ultimate goal you have in Python is to create and design websites, it only makes sense to create a basic website to practice. There are very few projects out there you could take on that will teach you as much as coding a basic HTML/CSS site will. You will learn about hosting, how to make an attractive design, how to link files and other pages and so much more.
Sure, your first site will be fairly simple and rudimentary, but that’s okay. As you get more proficient and educated, you can continue to build up the site and utilize more advanced programming techniques. Aiming too high can often lead to frustration and confusion, which can impede the growth of your skills. Also, be sure to choose a website idea or topic that you enjoy. Doing so will make sure you stay motivated and passionate about your growth.
There are also many frameworks and tutorials to walk you through the steps of website coding and design, as well. However, don’t expect to go to a simple one-page site to a multi-page site with dozens of moving parts. Learning a skill like Python of coding in general is a process, and won’t happen overnight.
A Game
Games are becoming increasingly more popular amongst developers, due to the ever-growing popularity of indie games. The indie game market, on both PC and consoles, is incredibly large.
While in-depth and detailed games are still popular, simple games (especially on mobile), are incredibly hot right now.
As a result, if you are looking to practice Python and potentially create something that will garner some feedback, a game makes sense. Of course, you may want to fine-tune the game a decent amount before releasing it to the public. However, once you feel it is good enough to release, you should do so as the public will be able to critique the game and help you make it better.
But what sort of game should you create when your knowledge is limited? You can start out with a very simple game like tic tac toe or even a basic choose your own adventure game that is text-based. These types of projects will use some of the introductory skills you know, and could help you work on and develop others as well. Of course, you can also get a little bit more creative, too. The opportunities are endless and there are many frameworks and apps that can help you design a great game in Python to test and improve your skills.
Eventually, if it becomes robust enough or gets enough interest from the public, you could look to monetize the game or sell it to a publisher or studio. In addition to helping you learn Python, this game could also make you some money or strengthen your portfolio going forward.
Web Scraping
While it might not be as popular as building a site or a game, web scraping is another huge use for Python. Web scraping is used for extracting all different types of data or information from websites or pages, allowing you to visualize or analyze it. Doing this all manually would be next to impossible, as most sites have a huge amount of data and information. With Python being great at automating a number of different things, Python is often used for web scraping. You can use the data from web scraping to create graphs and charts, as well.
Web scraping is often used by a number of different businesses in many varying industries. It can help with sales leads, real estate stats and so much more. Web scraping things like weather data and information about online reputation are also common. It might seem incredibly complex, but a web scraper does nothing more than take data, identify it and convert it into a format that is actually able to be used or viewed by the average person.
Like other types of projects, there are plenty of videos or guides that can help you along the way, as well. Practicing via a web scraping project will let you practice many coding skills which will come in handy throughout your career.
Hopefully this blog post has been able to help you learn about some great programming projects for Python beginners. These are far from the only options, but are among the most basic and useful to consider. By completing these projects and others like them, you will be well on your way to becoming proficient in Python.
