Tell your AI that you are beginner when learning Python! I recently asked AI to generate some simple code to reverse two virtual spreadsheet columns called ‘Name’ and ‘Type’. Instead of simply suggesting code in which the column list [‘Name’, ‘Type] is replaced by [‘Type’, ‘Name’], AI suggested a complex indexing trick that looks like [::-1]. Succinct coding, to be sure, but I could not decipher it without additional prompts! In another case, my AI provided some sample code in which a variable was defined after that variable was used! The Horror! When I asked why it made such a fundamental mistake, the AI complimented me on my “good eye” for catching the error and that it did not necessarily provide code in execution order. So, if you are just learning Python, always start your session with a good prompt to set the stage such as the following: "I am a total beginner learning Python. Please follow these rules for ALL Python code you write for me: 1. Write code in execution order. 2. Break every task into small, discrete steps. 3. Use simple, obvious variable names that describe what they contain 4. Add plenty of comments explaining what it happening in plain English 5. Avoid shortcuts, clever one-liners, or condensed syntax that experienced coders use 6. If there are multiple ways to do something, choose the most readable one, not the most efficient one 7. Before showing me code, double-check it runs in the correct order from top to bottom" For more tips, consider my new book "Automate Excel with Python". My publisher @No Starch Press is offering a free review chapter in case you were interested: https://lnkd.in/eS-WAVyV Good luck and good coding! #Excel, #Python, #pandas, #dataframes,#Productivity, #DataAnalysis, #Automation
Python for Beginners: Essential Coding Tips and Tricks
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🚀 “Learn Python” — we hear this everywhere. But here’s the truth 👇 Most people jump into frameworks, AI, or ML… without understanding how Python actually works. I was doing the same. So I decided to go back and rebuild my fundamentals 💪 📘 Starting my Python Learning Series (from basics → advanced) 🔘 What makes Python so powerful? 🔹 Simple & readable syntax 🔸 Platform independent 🔹 Dynamically typed 🔸 Massive ecosystem (NumPy, Pandas, etc.) 👉 That’s why Python is used in: AI • ML • Web Dev • Automation • Data Analysis 🔶 But here’s the part most people skip… 👉 In Python, everything is an object Even basic values like numbers and strings are objects stored in memory. ⚡ Deep Dive: Data Types (Core Understanding) 💠 int : Int is not just numbers and it supports multiple number systems: 🔹 Decimal → 10 🔹 Binary → 0b1010 🔹 Octal → 0o12 🔹 Hex → 0xA 💠 float : Float Supports scientific notation and Useful for handling very large/small values efficiently. x = 2e-3 # 0.002 💠 bool : Internally behaves like integers: >>> True = 1 >>> False = 0 Example: True + True = 2 💠 complex : Format: a + bj Used in advanced mathematical computations. 💡 Game-Changing Concept 👉 Python is Dynamically Typed Which means: x = 10 x = "Python" Same variable → different types at runtime ⚡ 🎯 Why this matters? ==> Understanding these fundamentals: 🔸 Improves problem-solving 🔸 Reduces bugs 🔸 Makes you a better developer 📅 I’ll be sharing Python concepts every week in a simple but deep way. 👉 Next Post: Strings, Indexing & Slicing (most underrated topic) If you're learning Python seriously, let’s grow together 🤝 #Python #Programming #Tech #MLOps #LearningInPublic
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🚀 Python Practice Series – 5 Questions for Today - Day 3 Keep going. Consistency builds confidence 💪 🔹 Q1 – Find Average of Numbers Question: Find the average of numbers in a list numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40] total = 0 for num in numbers: total += num average = total / len(numbers) print(average) 🔹 Q2 – Count Even and Odd Numbers Question: Count how many even and odd numbers are in a list numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] even = 0 odd = 0 for num in numbers: if num % 2 == 0: even += 1 else: odd += 1 print("Even:", even) print("Odd:", odd) 🔹 Q3 – Find Common Elements Question: Find common elements between two lists list1 = [1, 2, 3, 4] list2 = [3, 4, 5, 6] common = [] for num in list1: if num in list2 and num not in common: common.append(num) print(common) 🔹 Q4 – Remove Negative Numbers Question: Remove negative numbers from a list numbers = [-5, 10, -2, 7, 3] positive = [] for num in numbers: if num >= 0: positive.append(num) print(positive) 🔹 Q5 – Find Length of Each Word Question: Given a sentence, find length of each word sentence = "python is easy" words = sentence.split() lengths = [] for word in words: lengths.append(len(word)) print(lengths) 🎯 Summary (Hands-on Learning) Practiced aggregation (sum, average) Learned filtering and counting Worked with multiple lists Handled strings and transformations Improved real problem-solving thinking 👉 Focus: Small problems daily → Strong foundation If anyone is a beginner and learning Python from zero, they can follow the journey here 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gCfExA7C
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I started learning Python… And it completely changed how I think. At first, I treated it like any other programming language. Learn syntax. Write code. Move on. But Python doesn’t work like that. Somewhere between writing your first print("Hello World") and building small logic-based programs… Something shifts. You realize: It’s not about code anymore. It’s about thinking. Python forces you to slow down and think clearly. Not “What should I write?” But “How should I solve this?” And that changes everything. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 👇 - Simple & readable syntax (you focus on logic, not complexity) - Beginner-friendly but powerful enough for real-world problems - Works across domains — Web Development, Data Analytics, AI, Automation - Massive ecosystem (NumPy, Pandas, APIs, ML libraries…) But honestly… These are just features. The real value is deeper. Python builds your problem-solving mindset. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀. Step 1 → Understand the problem Step 2 → Divide it into smaller parts Step 3 → Solve each part logically And suddenly… Big problems don’t feel scary anymore. Over time, something even more interesting happens. Your brain adapts. You start thinking in structure. You start spotting patterns faster. You stop overcomplicating things. You start asking better questions. Instead of: “Why is this not working?” You think: What exactly is the problem here? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻. Not the code. But the clarity it gives you. If you're starting your tech journey… Start with Python. Not because it's easy. But because it teaches you the right foundation. It teaches you how to think. And once you learn that… You can learn anything. If this post added value: Save it. Repost it. Help someone who’s just starting. Follow for more content on Data Engineering, Analytics & Big Data And Tech Content Asif Ali Quraishi ♞ #Python #PythonBeginners #Programming #DataEngineer #DataScience
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If you want to learn Python for data… (Save this for later.. trust me) Don’t try to learn everything at once Follow a roadmap When most people try to learn Python they bounce between tutorials, random YouTube videos, and half-finished projects Progress feels slow because there’s no structure and it's way too overwhelming Here’s the roadmap I’d follow if I were learning Python today 1. Start with the basics This part feels boring but skipping it will hurt later Learn things like: - variables and data types - lists and dictionaries - if statements and loops - writing simple functions Once you understand those concepts, the rest of Python starts making a lot more sense 2. Learn how to clean and manipulate data This is where Python becomes useful for analysts You’ll spend most of your time working with pandas doing things like: - removing duplicates - filling missing values - reshaping datasets - merging multiple tables together - grouping data to create metrics Checkpoint: take a messy dataset and clean it 3. Practice exploratory data analysis (EDA) Now you start asking questions about the data You’ll look at: - averages and distributions - correlations between variables - patterns in the data This is where analysts start turning raw data into insights 4. Learn basic visualization Once you understand the data, you need to show it. Start with simple plots using libraries like matplotlib: - line charts - bar charts - scatter plots - histograms Nothing fancy. Just clear visuals that help explain the story Checkpoint: do a full exploratory analysis project 5. Try a simple machine learning model You don’t need to become an ML expert But it’s useful to understand the basics like: - splitting data into training/testing sets - building simple regression models - evaluating accuracy Even running one basic model will teach you a lot about how predictive analysis works Checkpoint: build your first simple ML model -- If you want a structured way to learn all of this, I recommend DataCamp It’s one of the easiest platforms for learning Python for data because everything is interactive and project-based Not only that, they have a mobile app which makes learning on-the-go so much easier You can check it out here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eMjBe5rr -- If you're trying to break into data, Python can be a huge advantage But the key is learning it in the right order Roadmap first. Tools second. -- 👉Save this for later ♻️Repost to help others
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I started learning Python… And it completely changed how I think. At first, I treated it like any other programming language. Learn syntax. Write code. Move on. But Python doesn’t work like that. Somewhere between writing your first print("Hello World") and building small logic-based programs… Something shifts. You realize: It’s not about code anymore. It’s about thinking. Python forces you to slow down and think clearly. Not “What should I write?” But “How should I solve this?” And that changes everything. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 👇 - Simple & readable syntax (you focus on logic, not complexity) - Beginner-friendly but powerful enough for real-world problems - Works across domains — Web Development, Data Analytics, AI, Automation - Massive ecosystem (NumPy, Pandas, APIs, ML libraries…) But honestly… These are just features. The real value is deeper. Python builds your problem-solving mindset. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀. Step 1 → Understand the problem Step 2 → Divide it into smaller parts Step 3 → Solve each part logically And suddenly… Big problems don’t feel scary anymore. Over time, something even more interesting happens. Your brain adapts. You start thinking in structure. You start spotting patterns faster. You stop overcomplicating things. You start asking better questions. Instead of: “Why is this not working?” You think: What exactly is the problem here? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻. Not the code. But the clarity it gives you. If you're starting your tech journey… Start with Python. Not because it's easy. But because it teaches you the right foundation. It teaches you how to think. And once you learn that… You can learn anything. If this post added value: Save it. Repost it. Help someone who’s just starting. Follow for more content on Data Engineering, Analytics & Big Data And Tech Content Saurabh Dubey #Python #PythonBeginners #Programming #DataEngineer #DataScience
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🚀 Python Practice Series – 5 Questions for Today - Day2 Keep building consistency. Try solving these 👇 🔹 Q1 – Find Second Largest Number Question: Find the second largest number in a list numbers = [10, 20, 4, 45, 99] first = second = float('-inf') for num in numbers: if num > first: second = first first = num elif num > second and num != first: second = num print(second) 🔹 Q2 – Remove Duplicates Question: Remove duplicates from a list numbers = [1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5] unique = [] for num in numbers: if num not in unique: unique.append(num) print(unique) 🔹 Q3 – Count Occurrences Question: Count how many times each element appears items = ["apple", "banana", "apple", "orange", "banana"] count_dict = {} for item in items: if item in count_dict: count_dict[item] += 1 else: count_dict[item] = 1 print(count_dict) 🔹 Q4 – Check Palindrome (String) Question: Check if a string is a palindrome text = "madam" is_palindrome = True for i in range(len(text)//2): if text[i] != text[-i-1]: is_palindrome = False break print(is_palindrome) 🔹 Q5 – Sum of Digits Question: Find sum of digits of a number num = 1234 total = 0 for digit in str(num): total += int(digit) print(total) 🎯 Summary (Hands-on Learning) Learned how to handle duplicates Used dictionary for counting Practiced string logic Improved comparison logic Worked with numbers as strings 👉 Focus: Practice daily → Build logic → Gain confidence If anyone is a beginner and learning Python from zero, they can follow the journey here 👇 https://lnkd.in/g9JRkg9w
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📌 Python Basics – String Methods & Slicing 📝 Making text manipulation simple for new learners. 🚀 When you’re starting with Python, strings are everywhere – names, emails, messages, datasets. Learning how to transform, clean, and slice text is a must-have skill. Here’s a quick guide I practiced 👇 🧹 Cleaning & Searching text = " data science " print(text.strip()) # "data science" → removes spaces at start and end sentence = "Python is fun, Python is powerful" print(sentence.find("fun")) # 10 → tells where "fun" starts print(sentence.replace("Python", "Coding")) # Coding is fun, Coding is powerful → replaces words print(sentence.count("Python")) # 2 → counts how many times "Python" appears ✨ Case Transformation text = "hello world" print(text.upper()) # HELLO WORLD → makes everything uppercase print(text.low er()) # hello world → makes everything lowercase print(text.capitalize()) # Hello world → only first letter capital print(text.title()) # Hello World → first letter of each word capital 🔗 Splitting & Joining text = "apple,banana,grape" print(text.split(",")) # ['apple', 'banana', 'grape'] → breaks into list words = ["a", "b", "c"] print("-".join(words)) # a-b-c → joins list back into one string ✅ Validation (Boolean Checks) print("123".isdigit()) # True → only numbers print("Python".isalpha()) # True → only letters print("hello".startswith("he")) # True → starts with "he" print("hello".endswith("lo")) # True → ends with "lo" 🔪 Slicing Basics word = "Python" print(word[0:3]) # Pyt → first 3 letters print(word[3:]) # hon → from 4th letter to end print(word[:3]) # Pyt → from start up to index 2 print(word[0]) # P → first character (index 0) print(word[-1]) # n → last character (negative index) print(word[::-1]) # nohtyP → reverses the whole word print(word[-3:0]) # ' ' → empty string (because -3 is after 0, slicing left-to-right gives nothing) 👉 You can also use the slice() object for reusable slices: s = slice(1, 4) print("Python"[s]) # yth → letters from index 1 to 3 💡 Why It Matters 🔹Strings are the foundation of data cleaning and text analysis. 🔹Methods give you quick shortcuts to transform text. 🔹Slicing helps you extract exactly what you need. This practice makes Python feel less intimidating and more like a toolbox you can play with. 🔖 #Python #StringMethods #StringSlicing #CodeNewbie #LearningJourney #ProgrammingBasics #DataAnalytics #CareerGrowth #LinkedInLearning #LearnWithMe #BeginnerFriendly #AnalyticsInAction
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you want to learn Python for data… (Save this for later.. trust me) Don’t try to learn everything at once Follow a roadmap When most people try to learn Python they bounce between tutorials, random YouTube videos, and half-finished projects Progress feels slow because there’s no structure and it's way too overwhelming Here’s the roadmap I’d follow if I were learning Python today 1. Start with the basics This part feels boring but skipping it will hurt later Learn things like: - variables and data types - lists and dictionaries - if statements and loops - writing simple functions Once you understand those concepts, the rest of Python starts making a lot more sense 2. Learn how to clean and manipulate data This is where Python becomes useful for analysts You’ll spend most of your time working with pandas doing things like: - removing duplicates - filling missing values - reshaping datasets - merging multiple tables together - grouping data to create metrics Checkpoint: take a messy dataset and clean it 3. Practice exploratory data analysis (EDA) Now you start asking questions about the data You’ll look at: - averages and distributions - correlations between variables - patterns in the data This is where analysts start turning raw data into insights 4. Learn basic visualization Once you understand the data, you need to show it. Start with simple plots using libraries like matplotlib: - line charts - bar charts - scatter plots - histograms Nothing fancy. Just clear visuals that help explain the story Checkpoint: do a full exploratory analysis project 5. Try a simple machine learning model You don’t need to become an ML expert But it’s useful to understand the basics like: - splitting data into training/testing sets - building simple regression models - evaluating accuracy Even running one basic model will teach you a lot about how predictive analysis works Checkpoint: build your first simple ML model -- If you want a structured way to learn all of this, I recommend DataCamp It’s one of the easiest platforms for learning Python for data because everything is interactive and project-based Not only that, they have a mobile app which makes learning on-the-go so much easier If you're trying to break into data, Python can be a huge advantage But the key is learning it in the right order Roadmap first. Tools second. --
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🚀 Lecture 2 is Done! — Teaching Python to Think & Decide Lecture 2 of my Introduction to Python course for MSBA students at SZABIST Islamabad just wrapped up, and this is where things get really interesting! In Lecture 1, we gave Python instructions. In Lecture 2, we taught Python how to make decisions. Here's what we covered: 🔹 Boolean Values Every decision in programming boils down to: True or False? Python's Boolean data type has just these two values. Every financial model that says "if revenue exceeds threshold, then…" is powered by this idea. 🔹 Comparison Operators We learned to let Python compare values: ✅ Equal (==), Not equal (!=) ✅ Greater than (>), Less than (<), and their or-equal variants Key lesson: = assigns a value, == compares two values. Mixing these up is the most common beginner mistake! 🔹 Boolean Operators Real decisions combine multiple conditions — "Approve the loan if credit score > 700 and debt-to-income < 40%." 📌 and — True when both conditions are True 📌 or — True when at least one is True 📌 not — Flips True to False and vice versa 🔹 Blocks & Indentation Python uses indentation to define code blocks — forcing clean, readable code from day one. The colon (:) signals that an indented block is coming next. 🔹 if / elif / else — The Core of Flow Control ✅ if — runs code only when a condition is True ✅ elif — checks another condition when the previous was False ✅ else — catches everything else Python evaluates top to bottom and executes only the first match. Order matters — just like structuring decision logic in risk models. 🔹 From Flowcharts to Code Flow control maps directly onto flowcharts. Diamonds are conditions, rectangles are code blocks. If you can draw a decision flowchart, you can write it in Python. 💡 Key Takeaway: Flow control powers every automated decision in finance — credit scoring, fraud detection, portfolio rebalancing. Python's if statement does what Excel's IF() does, but with far more power and scalability. 📚 Resource: https://lnkd.in/dWM25WeX Stay tuned — Lecture 3 is coming up next! 🐍 #Python #MSBA #BusinessAnalytics #Finance #PythonForFinance #Teaching #SZABIST #DataScience #LearningPython #FlowControl
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