Improving a Python course

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Tal Yaron

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Feb 28, 2023, 7:02:14 AM2/28/23
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Hi all,

I am the R&D manager of INT college, and we have a one-year python course intended to prepare students to be Python developers in the industry.

We would like to improve the course and update it to the current needs of the industry.

What do you think should a junior python developer know? Which technologies are needed? Which development habits should he/she acquire? What are the best technologies? How much data science/AI should he/she know?

Cheers,
Tal

אורי

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Feb 28, 2023, 7:32:01 AM2/28/23
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Hi,

I recommend learning:
- Python 3.11, 3.12
- Django 4.1, 4.2
- JavaScript, jQuery (if you want to get into it)
- HTML, CSS
- Python: learn all the basics, all data types, lists, sets, exceptions, try..except, loops, conditions, and everything related. And also the popular built-in modules. defaultdict. Everything a programmer needs to code in Python.
- Also, teach the students about Stack Overflow and how to use it: Questions, Answers, Reputation, and Bounties.
- Same with GitHub: Issues, Pull requests, GitHub Actions.
- Other websites you think are necessary.
- Ubuntu OS or other free/open source operating systems.
- Bash. How to use it and also how to write scripts.
- PyCharm.
- Using Git: branches, rebasing, pull requests, and the main branch.

Good luck!

Uri.


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Tal Yaron

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Feb 28, 2023, 7:56:47 AM2/28/23
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Thanks, Uri!
Much appreciated

Tal Einat

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Feb 28, 2023, 8:32:31 AM2/28/23
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Hi Tal,

I have some experience and many opinions and thoughts on this subject.

I'd need more context to give an answer though:

1. What relevant background will the students have?
2. Are there one or more fields which you'd be aiming for, e.g. backend, data engineering, data science?
3. Will the students be taught other subjects in parallel?

Happy to discuss further in private if you'd like, feel free to reach out.

- Tal Einat

On Tue, Feb 28, 2023 at 2:02 PM Tal Yaron <tal....@gmail.com> wrote:
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Tal Yaron

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Feb 28, 2023, 8:47:06 AM2/28/23
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Hi Tal,


1. What relevant background will the students have?
They don't have to be with some background, but we have some "magic" teaching method that enables students to be proficient at the end of the year, even without prior knowledge.

2. Are there one or more fields which you'd be aiming for, e.g. backend, data engineering, data science?
We believe that the market is going to data, especially data science (AI), so we want to stir the course toward data and data science.


3. Will the students be taught other subjects in parallel?
Should they? If you think they should, please tell me.

Thanks :-)


Sim Zacks

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Feb 28, 2023, 10:21:33 AM2/28/23
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The most important things that I've found lacking in junior programmers who have taken non-degree  programming courses:
* how to read documentation and figure out how to do something that they didn't learn
* programming != copying from stack overflow
* introduction to the vast python import library (i.e. look to see if something exists before reinventing the wheel)

In terms of specific subjects, I'd definitely include a container environment.

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Avi Keinan

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Feb 28, 2023, 10:29:11 AM2/28/23
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I would add to that, 
I see questions on Facebook, that maybe a rocket engineer will understand how to write it in Python, this has nothing to do with programming unfortunately. 
I would prefer to see programmers that can think of creative ideas like - Receive a message to your phone whenever: 
1. There is a new flight in Hulyo.co.il that is lower than 200$
2. When Macabbi scores a goal. 
3. When there is a new show available for Shahar Hason

This will make the students to get more involved with Web, think out of the box, think like a detective (How can I scrape this website without been noticed). work with 3rd party APIs. 

Today - this is the kind of tasks that students get, I'm a devops engineer for a long time and I even wrote a few scripts that are being used in multiple organizations, and yet, I have no idea how this is related to Python: 
image.png
 

Best regards, 
Avi

Shlomi Fish

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Feb 28, 2023, 1:58:50 PM2/28/23
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Hi Tal,
see:

*
https://github.com/shlomif/Freenode-programming-channel-FAQ/blob/master/FAQ_with_ToC__generated.md

* https://www.shlomifish.org/meta/FAQ/#computing

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Every successful open source project will eventually spawn a sub‐project.
https://www.shlomifish.org/humour/fortunes/osp_rules.html

Please reply to list if it's a mailing list post - https://shlom.in/reply .


Tal Yaron

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Mar 1, 2023, 1:51:06 AM3/1/23
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Hi Avi and Sim,

I think we are doing what you suggested. We don't have "logic" questions, as Avi mentioned, instead we tell them to go for their passion. "Build apps that do whatever you are interested in." For instance, they built a Trello-like app, a chess game, a 3d shooting game, a real-time board for sports news, etc. 
They also work with documents. We teach them how to write design documents for the app they are building, and in the last projects, they get design documents from real companies and build apps for real companies. About the container, we are aiming at doing collaborative projects for DevOps-Python-QA-Cyber, so they will have to learn how to use containers :-)

Sim, the huge libraries of Python are one of the reasons Python is so great. I will take it into account.

Shlomi, thanks :-)

Pavel Suchman

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Mar 1, 2023, 6:17:05 AM3/1/23
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Ho Tal, one thing I'd like to add is the emphasis on reading code and collaboration.
You can achieve it for instance by instituting code reviews from the very beginning.

I believe it is important because we read ours and others' code an order of magnitude more than write and because code red and critiqued by others is almost guaranteed to be better.

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Tal Yaron

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Mar 3, 2023, 1:31:18 AM3/3/23
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Thanks Pavel, We will go for it :-)

Tal Yaron

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Mar 22, 2023, 2:38:58 AM3/22/23
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Good morning to you all, and thanks all for the advice.

We have a new syllabus for Python Course.

Can you say if it is good enough for preparing Jouniuors?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VQhzwMksGCXJdEH1hu5gIOQYAQ9Tvuw55d8352xFI3g/edit?usp=sharing
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