A practical, self-paced Python course for beginners and those who have dabbled but never felt confident. Across eight lessons you will set up Python, learn the core language step by step, and finish by building a small command-line tool that reads data, processes it and writes a report, with a hands-on exercise in every lesson.
What you will learn
- Install Python and run scripts from an editor and the terminal
- Use variables, strings, numbers, conditionals and loops confidently
- Write and test your own functions
- Work with lists, dictionaries, files and CSV data
- Handle errors gracefully and organise code into modules
Lessons
- Setting Up Python and Running Your First Script
- Variables, Data Types and Operators
- Making Decisions and Repeating Work
- Functions and Writing Reusable Code
- Lists, Dictionaries and Other Collections
- Files, CSV Data and Error Handling
- Classes and Objects
- Modules, Packages and a Small Project
Self-paced course from Tech Skills Library. Educational content only. Completing the course earns a Certificate of Completion, not an accredited qualification, licence or credential.
Lessons
Setting Up Python and Running Your First Script
Variables, Data Types and Operators
Programs work by storing values and transforming them. In Python, a variable is a name that refers to a value. You create one with an assignment statement such as price = 19.99. Unlike some languages, you do not declare a type in advance; Python works out the type from the value, and a variable can […]
Making Decisions and Repeating Work
So far your programs run every line from top to bottom. Real programs need to choose between actions and repeat work. Python provides conditional statements for decisions and loops for repetition, and together they let you express almost any algorithm. if, elif and else An if statement runs a block of code only when a […]
Functions and Writing Reusable Code
As programs grow, repeating the same code in several places becomes error-prone. Functions solve this by packaging a set of steps under a name. You define a function once and call it whenever you need it. Well-designed functions make programs shorter, easier to read and much easier to test. Defining and calling functions You define […]
Lists, Dictionaries and Other Collections
Most useful programs work with groups of values: a list of customers, a set of tags, a table of prices. Python provides built-in collection types that cover nearly every need, and learning to use them well is one of the biggest steps toward writing real programs. Lists A list is an ordered, changeable sequence written […]
Files, CSV Data and Error Handling
Programs become far more useful when they can read and write files, because data then persists after the program ends and can come from other tools such as spreadsheets. This lesson covers text files, CSV data and handling the errors that inevitably occur when dealing with the outside world. Reading and writing text files The […]
Classes and Objects
As programs model more of the real world, it helps to bundle data and the functions that act on it into a single unit. Python supports this through object-oriented programming. You have already been using objects all along: every string, list and file in Python is an object with its own methods, such as upper() […]
Modules, Packages and a Small Project
Python's real power comes from reuse. Instead of writing everything yourself, you import modules: files of code written by you, by the Python core team, or by the wider community. This final lesson explains modules and packages, introduces virtual environments, and guides you through a small end-to-end project. Importing modules An import statement makes another […]