The Best Python Courses of 2021

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We picked this class as best overall because it covers everything you need to get started with Python at a reasonable cost and earns very high ratings from past students.

If you want an all-in-one Python education for a flat price, Udemy’s 2021 Complete Python Bootcamp From Zero to Hero in Python holds a 4.6-star average rating with more than 350,000 ratings and 1.2 million past students.

The course costs $159.99, though there may be discounts or coupons available depending on when you sign up. It covers Python 3 over 155 lectures that take about 22 hours to complete with 19 coding exercises included.

You can preview the course introduction for free to decide if you like the teacher and curriculum. If you sign up and change your mind, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re serious about learning Python and stick with this course to completion, you will likely find the price tag to be a worthwhile investment in your career.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We chose the Python for Everybody Specialization because it’s a robust series of university-taught courses that shows you how to use Python in common scenarios.

The Python for Everybody Specialization from the University of Michigan is a series of four courses on the Coursera platform. The sections teach you Python basics and data structures before diving into using Python on the web and with databases. You can audit the entire series for free, which gives you access to course documentation and files. A fee is required for certification on completion.

This course is appropriate for beginners with no Python knowledge and moderate computer skills. If you already know the basics, you may want to jump ahead into the sections on using Python to access web data and databases, including an introduction to the SQL database query language.

A university professor teaches the course, but you can go at your own pace online. If you follow the suggested pace of three hours per week, it will take eight months to complete. But if you work hard, you can get through it faster. According to Coursera, nearly one million students have enrolled, and of those who completed the course, 37% started a new career and 19% got a pay increase or promotion.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We picked this course taught by Google on the Coursera platform because it teaches beginners everything they need to know to start with Python and no prior coding or programming knowledge is required.

There’s arguably no company that knows the Internet better than Google, which offers this Python course free if audited on the Coursera platform. This is the first in a series of six courses on Python and perfect for anyone new to Python or programming and coding in general.

The Crash Course on Python holds a 4.8-star rating and has over 300,000 past enrollees. The course is at your own pace, taking roughly 32 hours to complete, and shows students how to create basic scripts and objects to automate small tasks. If you like what you learn, you can continue through the eight-month series titled Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate.

Even if you don’t want to go into an IT career, this course could be valuable for managers and workers across many industries, including finance, accounting, and marketing. If you’re really into it and complete the extended course series, you will have the knowledge to start a new career or put Python to use in your day-to-day work.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We picked Pluralsight because it offers multiple Python-related courses for advanced users with unlimited access for a monthly subscription.

Pluralsight is a course platform where a single membership price gives you access to a large library of courses. While beginners may enjoy the Core Python Path, advanced users can skip ahead to specific courses and topics they want to learn. Additional learning paths include Python for Data Analysts, Interpreting Data with Python, and Provisioning Infrastructure with the AWS CDK Using Python.

Examples of courses for more advanced Python users include Python Best Practices for Code Quality, which takes just over an hour to complete, and Build Your Own CLI Planner App Using Python Abstract Base Classes, which takes about three hours.

Individual memberships cost $29 per month for the standard plan, which includes over 2,500 courses plus skill assessments. If you’d like access to even more classes, certification practice exams, and other features, you can opt for the $45 per month premium plan. You can also save with annual memberships for $299 per year or $449 per year, depending on the membership level you choose. Before committing, you can try Pluralsight free for 10 days.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We like CodingNomads Python Bootcamp Online because it offers three pricing tiers with multiple learning levels for individual timeframes and budgets.

The Python bootcamp from CodingNomads is a great online bootcamp that takes you from beginner to expert over a three-month intensive course for $2,100. You can also opt for a month-to-month intensive program for $750 per month or get access to the online content and forum for just $9 per month.

CodingNomads’ intensive programs pair you with a dedicated mentor, weekly one-on-one screen share meetings, and custom code reviews. The three-month program typically requires 10 to 25 hours per week and includes 24/7 mentor access on Slack. You can start for free or schedule a free mentor advisory call before committing to the full price.

CodingNomads’ bootcamp teaches how to use Python for databases and the web, Python APIs, and in various programming environments. The capstone project requires pulling everything you learned together and could jumpstart your own side hustle or show potential employers that you have the skills they’re looking for.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We picked this course series on Coursera because it includes an in-depth education on using Python with large data sets, machine learning, and other in-demand uses from a reputable university at no cost.

If you already know the basics and want to move on to higher-level data projects with Python, consider this course series on Coursera from the University of Michigan. The course sections focus on data science, applied visual data representations, applied machine learning, applied text mining, and applied social network analysis. Applied means you will likely find real-world uses for this knowledge in your career.

As with most Coursera classes, this course is free to audit and requires a modest fee for a certificate proving completion, which may not be necessary. It is taught by a team of four instructors and professors from the University of Michigan School of Information, the same source as the Python for Everybody Specialization we picked as best for beginners.

More than 275,000 students have enrolled in this course. According to Coursera, 34% of participants who completed the course started a new career and 23% said they got a pay increase. Some Python learners may jump in and just take one or two of the courses, but the full specialization offers an excellent foundation for future data scientists.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We chose Introduction to Python for Finance because it covers finance-specific needs in a compressed four-hour video course that includes 55 different exercises to build the specific skills you need.

Datacamp is a membership website that teaches a wide range of topics. If you’re in finance and want to learn to use Python for data collection and analysis, the Introduction to Python for Finance course is a great pick. Memberships to Datacamp cost $25 per month or $300 per year and include more than 300 different courses focused on coding and IT skills for business.

The Python for Finance course is made up of five sections. Useful skills you’ll pick up include using arrays, lists, and data visualizations. The final section is a case study that requires bringing course concepts together in a project that calculates financial ratios and data summaries for S&P 100 companies.

Finance professionals are busy and likely don’t need to know everything under the sun about Python. Instead of choosing a course for IT professionals, this course is made just for finance and puts you on track to maximize profits in any industry.

Sign Up Now

Why We Chose It: We chose this course because it comes from Python’s makers and includes the information you need to start or improve a Python project quickly.

If you’re already a software developer, you may want to jump right into the Python Tutorial, a Python course that’s more of a user manual than a series of lessons. You’ll likely find everything you need to get started working in Python with a minimal time commitment and no cost.

The Python Tutorial is updated for the latest Python version. It hyperlinks to additional resources and documentation from the Python Standard Library and shows you how to extend and use Python for various use cases.

The course starts by teaching you where Python got its name and ends with practical knowledge you can use for applying Python to your career. That’s a plan most experienced developers should find success with, and it doesn’t cost more than the time spent learning new Python skills.