What I learned from a 32-hour 2023 Python Developer Bootcamp
A review from an online Bootcamp student
(Notes: All opinions are my own)
Introduction
In the past month, I have managed to complete the Complete Python Developer in 2023 offered by Zero to Mastery Academy, one of the best platforms to learn software development I’ve recently bumped into.
The course itself represents approximately a total of 32 hours of coursework, as stated by the website itself.
I have recently started using the platform as I plan to continue to develop as well as refresh my technical skills, and I look forward to moving on to other courses.
I used the course to get a total Python refresh and get started on new project ideas, given I was not new to the language and have been writing other articles around it.
In this article, I take an overall look at this course and expand on three specific aspects I think make it a great Python learning resource you may want to consider.
Focus on classes & Object Oriented Programming
I knew this course was the complete package the minute I reached the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) section, where as a student you get exposed to how to work with and create your classes in Python, a powerful reflection of the OOP paradigm.
The section focuses on:
Principles of OOP
Attributes and Methods
Encapsulation
Abstraction
Inheritance
Polymorphism
Object Introspection
Dunder Methods
Multiple Inheritance
Method Resolution Order
The above lessons give you a full overview of what classes are and why it’s important to know how to use them in Python.
I also suggest you put this knowledge to use by working on class-based projects, such as the ones I talked about in another article: 3 Useful Projects to learn Python Classes
Decorators & Generators
After OOP and another section I suggest you cover in depth (called Functional Programming), Decorators and Generators stood out for me as key features of the course.
Decorators allow you to extend and augment a Python function’s functionality and give it extra properties and functionality without extending the core of the function body.
For example, you could write a decorator that lets you monitor the functions’ execution time for performance purposes.
On the other hand, Generators let you create functions that behave like iterable objects, similar to for/while loop.
The main benefits are performance and added iterability (e.g. the ability to treat a function’s input and output terms as single iterable objects instead of processing the entire function’s input at once, which also hinders performance)
A project-packed Scripting section
Probably the best section of the course, this section is project-based and mainly focused on creating Python scripts that solve practical problems.
You will learn to write Python programs that:
Process and modify images
Modify PDF files
Send Emails
Send Texts
Check your Password’s strength
Automate your Twitter Account
Most importantly, this section will truly let the student see how powerful and flexible this programming language is, and how you can use it to solve a super large variety of practical problems.
With the power of Python at your fingertips, your imagination is your only limit and you can now put your skills to use on projects of your choosing while building a powerful portfolio.
Summary and next steps
Overall, I cannot recommend the course by Complete Python Developer in 2023 enough, especially as you are starting on your software developer learning journey.
To summarize how you get the best out of the course as well as your overall learning experience, remember to:
Understand OOP in Python as it will enable you to create and mold your custom objects
Discover the power Generators and Decorators add to your programs
Get inspiration from the course projects and then branch out to build your own!
Enjoy the ride, and thanks for reading!