Deciding to learn a programming language is one thing, but if you having trouble deciding where to get started, Microsoft has a new 44-part video series that aims to teach beginners Python.
Whether that is an appropriate place to begin is up for debate, though as ZDNet recently noted, Python is the most popular programming language right now, according to the latest IEEE Spectrum ranking from earlier this month. The ranking is based on 11 weighted metrics from eight sources, with Python sitting above Java, C, C++, and R (to round out the top five).
Most of the 44 videos are just a few minutes long—the shortest one is just over 2 minutes, and the longest ones are around 9-12 minutes. Most are shorter, though.
The series is a joint effort between Christopher Harrison, a senior programming manager at Microsoft, and Susan Ibach, a business development manager for Microsoft's AI gaming division.
While the course is aimed at beginners, it is not necessarily intended for someone who is brand new to coding altogether. It assumes the viewer has some "light experience" programming in another language, such as JavaScript or MakeCode, and is interested in learning Python.
"While we won't cover everything there is to know about Python in the course, we want to make sure we give you the foundation on programming in Python, starting from common everyday code and scenarios. At the end of the course, you'll be able to go and learn on your own, following along docs, tutorials, books, etc," Harrison states in a blog post.
The focus is not on gaming specifically, though it's certainly possible to create a game with Python.
Follow this link if you want to check out Microsoft's new video series, or check out the first of the 44 videos below.
