Learn Python the Easy Way
Dr. Allen Harper
Cyber Mentor and Executive Advisor || 35+ years experience || Lead author of Gray Hat Hacking books || EVP Cybersecurity at T-Rex || Mentoring thousands into cyber and Entrepreneurs starting businesses
Choose an interactive learning environment to learn?python
I am going to discuss learning Python in a free and engaging way.
This matters because learning a programming language can be dry and confusing, particularly outside of a classroom. However, it can be done better and we will show you how.
Most people fail at this, because they don’t find the content engaging and stick with it long enough to complete it and actually learn the skill. This pattern is unfortunately repeated for other topics as well and often if you are not careful, you will sit still, as you watch others advance.
I encourage you to face challenges head on and conquer them.
Don’t Quit on your?Dreams!
Here is what you will get out of this article:
Why Python?
In our last article , we covered why should be interested in learning Python, particularly as a cybersecurity expert. The highlights include:
Why Replit
Replit is many things, including an excellent platform for learning Python, offering several advantages for both beginners and more experienced programmers:
User-Friendly Interface
Replit provides a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy to start coding right away.
The platform offers:
This setup allows learners to focus on writing Python code without worrying about complex development environment configurations[1][4].
Accessibility and Convenience
As a cloud-based platform, Replit offers several benefits:
Comprehensive Learning Resources
Replit offers a variety of learning materials to support Python beginners:
Project-Based Learning
The platform emphasizes practical, hands-on learning:
Wide Language?Support
While excellent for Python, Replit also supports numerous other programming languages, making it a versatile tool for expanding your coding skills beyond Python[2][4].
Potential Drawbacks
AI Tools
However, there is another key reason I recommend starting with Replit. When it comes to technology, I like to “skate where the puck is going”, not “where the puck is at now”. Replit is leading the charge on AI enabled development. They recently pushed some features that allow you to simply talk to their AI agent and allow it to build an entire website or game for you, with a few simple prompts, in moments.
Some may argue they may even be a “bit over their skis”….when it comes to AI… thats ok, I am not encouraging you to use the AI tools, out the gate, but it is nice to know that by the time you learn the fundamentals of coding, the platform you are using is getting smarter every day and will eventually allow you to build a rocket ship, both figuratively and potentially actually, if you choose.
That is what I mean by “skate where the puck is heading,” it is smart and will save you time later.
Overall
Overall, Replit offers an engaging, accessible, and comprehensive platform for learning Python. Its project-based approach, combined with a user-friendly interface and robust learning resources, makes it an excellent choice for beginners and intermediate learners alike[1][5].
Course Overview
100 Days of Code?—?The Complete Python Course , is the best course I have seen, in terms of engaging content, easy to use learning environment, and depth of the learning examples, including debugging, which is often overlooked.
Once inside, you will find an introductory video, along with a roadmap of the course. You will notice that more start than finish, don’t be part of that trend.
We are value creators, so lets press through this training and make it to the other side.
Day 1
Click the Go button, to get started with Day 1 training. Inside the Day 1 lesson, you will find the same introductory video, be sure to watch the video, to get a feel for the layout of the course and also the workspace, within Replit.
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When ready to start, hit the “Next” arrow in the lower left hand corner, that will take you into the meat of the module, and give you precise step by step instructions on how to proceed.
Tip: one thing I noticed at this point, was left side menu was hidden and I had to toggle it open, by clicking the icon in the upper left hand corner. I think they have updated the training since those instructions were given, and they forgot to mention that… now you know how to find your files, such as main.py !
Follow the instructions and continue to hit the “Next” arrow to get to the next page of instructions.
Hello World
Soon, you will write your first line of code, which is a rite of passage, for all coders, the famous “Hello World” print statement.
You will notice that you can hover over a code block and you will be presented with options to insert the code automatically or copy it, so you can paste it yourself. These options will save you much time as you proceed.
However, since this is your first line of code, I encourage you to type it in yourself!
Following the instructions, hit the run button, and you should see your output on the right side.
The value of this learning experience, in terms of ease of use, cannot be overstated. As you will recall in last week’s article , we covered installing python on your system, which had many steps and varied depending on what system you were on. Further, we learned that we needed to set up a virtual environment, as to not interfere with other programs we may be running on our system… all of that drama is avoided by using this online interactive learning environment.
This allows you to skip all the setup and just learn to code! Nice and refreshing, isn’t it.
Errors and Debugging
Now, the following pages of the module, go through variations of the print statement and most important, common errors and how to debug your code.
Again, I can’t express how important it is to learn to debug, on day one, and I have not seen many learning programs do that, right up front. You will be glad you went this route, as you quickly build up your debugging skills, which will be used over your career as a coder.
Kudos to Replit for stressing debugging up front!
Challenges
At the end of the module, and subsequent modules, you will find a set of challenges, to ensure you have mastered the skills learned in the module. This is vital to lock in the knowledge and slowly builds your confidence, as you accomplish more and more.
Things are getting exciting, let’s move on to the next module. Click the blue “Mark lesson complete” button at the top of the module and you will get this pop-up.
If you like, share your progress on Twitter. Then, hit the “Back to the learning hub” button, to continue in your learning.
Day 2
Hit the home button, near the upper left hand corner of the page, to return to your Replit home, then part way down the screen, you will see a link to Day 2, which will bring you to the Day 2 landing page. Congrats on contributing to another completion of Day 1, now hit the “Go” button again, and lets go to the Day 2 module details.
In this course module, you will handle inputs from users, which you will store in variables.
This is very useful as it allows you to interact with your users and make a more dynamic application.
As before, this module has a heavy emphasis on debugging common errors. By this point, you are getting the hang of debugging and realizing it is not that hard. Also, there is a great challenge at the end, to ensure you have mastered these skills.
Warning: Free Plans on?Replit
This article has described the wonderful benefits of learning on Replit. However, there is currently one down side. Be aware that recently Replit changed their pricing and now they only allow you to save 3 repos for free. The module for each course day is saved as a repo. So, after 3 days, simply delete the first 3 days repos and you will be able to continue with the course for free. You can even revisit those modules if you need to. But you will need to keep deleting the repos, beyond 3 as you go.
This is a minor inconvenience and I hope they resolve this before long.
If you want to avoid this issue, sign up for a paid subscription!
Conclusion
It has never been easier to get started on your coding journey, than today. Replit has taken away all the excuses. What are you waiting for?
TL;DR
In this article, we have discussed:
Citations:
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