DO THIS instead of watching endless tutorials - This is how to learn Python fast

I arrived in Oxford over a decade ago knowing a lot about MRI physics but very little about coding. And that was a problem because almost every task ahead of me involved programming in some way or other. The pulse sequences controlling the MRI scanner. We wrote our own experimental ones using code and the analysis of the data gathered that required Python. Image Image construction that was also Python. So when my supervisor suggested enrolling me on a four-week coding workshop, I thought it was a great idea. But it didn't work out like that. This is the last video I'll ever make about learning to code [music] because once I've shared it, I won't have any more to say on the subject. It's going to cover the first few years of my coding journey, what I wished I'd known, and the advice that would have smooth the learning process. I'll also touch on AI. On day one of the coding workshop, about an hour or two in, I was among 20 or so people sitting at the workstations tapping at a keyboard, writing code onto the screen, except my code was nonsense. I looked around and saw my neighbors working through the problem sets. I couldn't breathe. I was drowning and surrounded by people who could swim. It was embarrassing, too. So, I took the only sensible option. I ran off and hid in the L. The pressure just piled on me. If I didn't understand how to code, I couldn't do my research. What then? But if I could go back in time and give myself some advice, it would be this. There are three requirements to learn to code quickly. And without them, it's almost impossible. At the time, I only had one of them. The first requirement is a reason to learn, a motivation, but it can't be nebulous, woolly, fluffy. Specific is [music] best. So, not I want to code because I want a job in coding, but I need a way of sifting through large quantities of housing data from the market town of Frammingham because I want to find streets where houses trade at a discount to the town average. I had a specific reason [music] to learn to code, which is what saved me. If you don't have a reason, you're driving without a destination, which can be fun for a while, but a 1,000mi journey without a destination [music] is tedious. You'll be easily diverted and do something else. Coding isn't about writing code. [snorts] In 2006, Janette Wing, who was then the president's professor of computer science at Carnegie Melon University, wrote this published in the communications of ACN. You should read it because it offers great insight into what coding is and isn't. The article is called computational thinking, which is precisely what I wasn't doing sitting in the coding workshop in the physics building at Oxford University. The article sets out what computational thinking is, how its applications stretch far beyond programming and computer science. Because if you peel back computational thinking to its fundamentals, what you see is the art of problem solving. Coding enables you to express the solution into a set of instructions understandable by a machine. But it's not a substitute for the thought and creativity that goes into problem solving. Janette Wing puts it well by saying coding means more than being able to program a computer. It requires thinking at multiple levels of abstraction. I fell into that trap when I started coding because the computer is sophisticated and has an intimidating interface with unfamiliar options and the facility to generate error codes when something doesn't work. It feels less like a tool I use to express my ideas and more like the senior partner telling me what to do. I wouldn't expect a pen to instruct how to write or a paintbrush to comment on my artistic flare. But I handed that power to the computer and forgot to think about the underlying problem. Instead, just focusing on the code. And since then, I've seen many other beginners snared by the same coding trap. It sounds simple, but you must remember coding starts with thinking, computational thinking. And that's why learning to code is still worthwhile even now we have AI. Sometimes, no matter how many Python coding tutorials you watch, it still feels overwhelming to piece everything together. Interactive learning is extremely important when learning Python. That's exactly why I recommend today's sponsor, Data Camp, a platform I've used myself and first started recommending years ago. Data Camp's hands-on interactive approach truly helps build your Python coding skills, not just memorize syntax. With Data Camp, you're coding directly in your browser from day one. If you want structure, the Python programming fundamentals track is ideal. It covers everything I mentioned in this video, from variables, built-in data types, and custom functions to using real modules and packages, and finishes with the project where you design user registration functions. And if you want to bring your skills to the next level and get job ready as a developer, the associate Python developer track goes beyond the basics covering error handling, file operations, object-oriented programming, regular expressions, and even decorators and context managers, all with practical projects like building command line tools, and web scrapers. If you're serious about learning Python coding fast, check out the links in the description. The term computational thinking is so abstract. How do you make it more concrete and create a definable idea you can apply to learning? How does Janette Wing define it? She says it's about concepts, not programming. Does that help? I'm not sure. But she goes further, drilling down to the fundamentals of a problem, understanding how to approach or break it apart into a series of smaller, more tractable problems. It's not rote learning or memorizing code. You need to understand the capabilities of the machine and the code to exploit the weakness in the problem. And that insight comes with practice. Combining your ideas and code creates a solution. Really, you could start learning to code without a computer. I mean, that's not a recommendation. It's easier with a computer, but it's possible without one. And if you don't believe that, then proof comes from Ironwood State Prison in California. It's well known for its prisoner rehabilitation programs. One of them is software development, where for the first month, participants don't have access to a computer. Coding assignments are handwritten on paper and some of the alumni have gone on to work for major tech companies. Learning to code quickly and thoroughly has three requirements. One, recognize that the science of learning still applies. Researchers have discovered how the brain learns and the same techniques work in most situations. You must aim for desirable difficulty. Learning should challenge you enough, but not so much you decide to give up. Remember, the struggle is where the learning takes place. You will struggle. Learning to code, well, it's difficult. Retrieval practice, space practice, and interle will accelerate the process. Learn what they are and always incorporate them into your learning. Familiarize yourself with the basic syntax of Python. Don't spend much time on this. No more than a week. And solve problems. What kind of problems? Honestly, anything, which isn't helpful, I know. It could be creating little scripts to carry out useful tasks like what? Well, so I often take screenshots for videos. Windows 11 doesn't give me an easy way of saving them. So, I have a script that automatically saves them to a location that I choose. Simple, but not easy to write for a beginner, but you'll figure it out. Or if you want something more game-like, there's the towers of Hanoi or Solitaire. But remember, it's motivation that will push you through the tough times. So, have a project, build an app, build a fully functional web app. And this is important. Do not just work through tutorials. You have to go off on your own away from the tutorial path and find creative solutions to novel situations for you. That's what gets you thinking and learning. And what about AI? Use it to give feedback on code or to set questions or explain concepts. Do not ask AI to write your code. Certainly not at the start. VIP coding sounds great, but before using autopilot, you should know how to fly the plane. I figured these tips out over several years of research. And eventually writing code to tell a computer to carry out tasks for me became easier, but never easy. But something I found was that translating a concept into a problem a computer could solve gave me a deeper understanding of the problem itself. So if I could go back to that coding workshop, I'd coax myself out of the loo and tell me not to focus on the code, but on the mental steps required to solve the problem. Be clear about those and only then set about converting them into

Top pick courses for learning Python coding fast: DataCamp Python Fundamentals Track - https://datacamp.pxf.io/python-fundamentals DataCamp Python Developer Career Track - https://datacamp.pxf.io/python-associate-dev If 2026 is the year you're learning to code, then watch this video. I share the possible pitfalls and how to avoid them. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:45 My Early Experience 01:15 3 Requirements to Learn to Code 01:26 First Requirement 02:02 It's not about writing code 03:43 DataCamp Sponsorship 04:56 What is Computational Thinking 06:03 The Science of Learning Applies 06:28 Familiarise yourself with the basics 07:21 Should you use AI? I have a Substack where I post (occasionally!) about insights and thoughts on learning. It's free http://gilesknowledge.substack.com/ Learn How to Learn - My new course on learning will teach you the most effective evidence based learning techniques and practices. Sign up here: https://courses.giles.how/offers/kUVqktk5 And if you'd like to support my on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gilesmcmullen Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68KSmHePPePCjW4v57VPQg/join 📱 Social Media https://www.instagram.com/gilesmcmullen/ https://twitter.com/GilesMcMullen 👌 SUBSCRIBE to ME!👌 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC68KSmHePPePCjW4v57VPQg?sub_confirmation=1