Introduction to Python for Beginners

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Certificate Available
Effort

7 weeks, 1 hour a week
Sessions

Self-Paced
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English

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Overview

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By the end of this course, you will write, run, and debug your own Python scripts to automate tasks and organize data. You will install Python and execute files from the terminal, control program flow using conditions and loops, and manage information with lists, tuples, sets, and dictionaries. You will also build reusable functions, read and write text files safely, and deploy a simple web application using Flask. Finally, you will apply basic security practices to protect your code and evaluate AI-generated scripts before using them. This course is designed for absolute beginners, analysts, and office professionals who want a working Python environment today without prior programming experience. What sets this program apart is its immediate practical focus: you will not just read theory, but actively build a personal profile script, a password validator, and a text analyzer. You will learn how to read tracebacks, fix errors, and use free, open-source tools like VS Code. By avoiding complex external libraries initially, you build a solid foundation in the Python standard library, preparing you to automate repetitive manual tasks and build small, reliable command-line utilities.

Syllabus

How to Set Up Python and Write Your First Working Program?
- Wondering how to install Python on your own computer and actually get a program to run, without breaking anything and without paying for software? This module answers exactly that question.By the end of this module you will write, run, and debug your own Python script on your own machine. You'll install Python 3 and execute a .py file from the terminal, store information in variables using the int, float, str, and bool data types, format text output with f-strings, and read a Python traceback well enough to fix the error it names.This module is designed for absolute beginners who have never written a line of code and want a working Python environment today. No prior programming experience is required and no paid tools are needed - Python and VS Code are free and open source. The module is fully self-contained: every file you need is attached, so it does not depend on any other module in this course.You'll finish with a configured Python setup plus a working, debugged profile script saved on your computer, ready to grow into your own tools.
How to Control a Python Program with Input, Conditions, and Loops?
- Wondering how to make a Python program ask the user a question, decide what to do with the answer, and keep asking until the answer is valid? This module answers exactly that question.By the end of this module you will build an interactive Python program that validates user input against a set of rules and repeats until the input passes. You'll collect answers with input(), format results with print(), write if, elif, and else branches, combine conditions with and, or, and not, repeat work with for and while loops, and take precise control of a loop using break and continue.This module is designed for beginners who want their programs to respond differently in different situations - a discount rule, a validation check, a retry loop - and for anyone automating a repetitive manual task. It is fully self-contained: a starter file and a two-minute recap of variables and printing are attached, so no earlier module is required, and everything runs on a plain Python 3 install with no extra packages.You'll finish with a working password checker you can drop into any project.
How to Organize Real Data with Python Lists and Dictionaries?
- Wondering how to hold a list of customers, a set of unique tags, or a table of settings in Python instead of twenty separate variables? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will store, retrieve, update, and delete real records using Python's built-in collections. You'll create and slice lists, protect values that must not change with tuples, strip duplicates with sets, map keys to values with dictionaries, and loop through any collection to add, remove, count, or transform its items. This module is designed for beginners and analysts who can already run a Python script and now need to handle more than one value at a time - contact lists, survey answers, inventory, configuration files. It stands entirely on its own: a starter file loaded with sample data is attached, so no earlier module is required. Nothing here needs an external library; every structure used ships with Python 3. You'll finish with a clear decision rule for choosing between a list, a tuple, a set, and a dictionary in your own projects, plus a reference note-taking app you can reuse.
How to Write Reusable Python Functions and Use Built-in Modules?
- Wondering how to stop copying and pasting the same block of Python code and turn it into something you can call by name whenever you need it? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will build a small command-line utility assembled from your own functions plus Python's standard library. You'll define functions with def, pass data in through positional and keyword arguments, set sensible default values, return results instead of printing them, and import ready-made tools from math, random, and datetime rather than writing that logic yourself. This module is designed for beginners whose scripts have grown long and repetitive, and for anyone who wants to build small reusable tools instead of one-off files. It is fully self-contained: a starter script and a short syntax recap are attached, so no earlier module is required. No frameworks and no installations beyond Python 3 are needed - the standard library ships with the language. You'll finish with a working utility you can run from your terminal any time, and with the habit of splitting a problem into named, testable pieces.
How to Read, Write, and Analyze Text Files with Python?
- Wondering how to make Python open a real file from your computer and turn it into something useful - counts, a summary, a cleaned-up report? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will write a script that reads a text file, extracts the information you care about, and writes a summary back to disk. You'll open files in read, write, and append mode, use the with statement so files always close properly, walk through a file line by line, split and strip text, count words and patterns, and handle the file-not-found error that breaks most beginner scripts. This module is designed for beginners, analysts, and office professionals who want Python to process logs, exports, notes, and reports instead of doing it by hand. It stands on its own: sample data files and a starter script are attached, so no earlier module is required. Everything runs on a plain Python 3 install - no pandas and no external packages. You'll finish with a reusable text analyzer and a generated report file you can show as proof of work.
How to Build and Deploy a Simple Web App with Flask?
- Wondering how to take Python off your laptop and put it on the internet as a real website that anyone can open in a browser? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will deploy a working Flask web application to a public URL. You'll install Flask, create routes that map a web address to a Python function, return dynamic content, pass data from Python into an HTML page with Jinja templates, run the development server locally, and publish the finished app on a free hosting platform such as Render or PythonAnywhere. This module is designed for beginners who can write a basic Python script and want a portfolio piece they can send to an employer, and for professionals who want to wrap an existing script in a simple interface. It is fully self-contained: a working starter app, a requirements file, and a base template are attached, so no earlier module is required. Everything runs on free tiers, and no server administration or front-end experience is expected. You'll finish with a live web app URL, its source code, and a repeatable deployment checklist.
How to Keep Python Code Secure and Your Skills Future-Ready?
- Wondering what separates code that merely runs from code you would be comfortable putting in front of real users - and what to learn next once the basics are behind you? This module answers exactly that question. By the end of this module you will be able to assess a small Python project for security and quality risks and name the fix for each one. You'll see how hardcoded API keys and passwords leak through public repositories, why unvalidated user input is the root of most beginner vulnerabilities, what makes eval() and unpinned dependencies dangerous, how virtual environments and pip supply-chain attacks work, and how to review code that an AI assistant wrote for you before you ship it. This module is designed for anyone finishing a first Python course and for self-taught developers who want to close the gap between tutorials and professional practice. It is entirely theoretical: no coding, no setup, and no earlier module is required, so it can be taken first if you simply want the landscape. You'll finish with a personal Python security checklist and a realistic picture of where Python is heading - type hints, performance work, data engineering, and AI-assisted development.