Ask HN: How to finish Learn Python The Hard Way and where to go from there?

[carrot]

I've been wanting to learn how to properly program since last year and based on the advice of a lot of great people here at HN and elsewhere, I got myself a copy of Learn Python The Hard Way. I think the advice at the beginning of the book that said take 2 hours to read/learn/perform exercises each day is solid. So I do that and really have no problems at all except that by the time I arrive at Exercise 20 or so, I tend to stop. Maybe it's just coincidence or bad luck, but after missing a few days I find that everything is lost to me and I have to start all over again.

I've restarted reading the book twice already and am about to restart for a third time. Can I get some advice on how I can actually finish this book and where I can go (what other resources I should look into, etc.) once I do?

[canatan01]

Are you just reading/learning/performing the things day by day? So day 6, you only do the things of day 6, etc? If so, I think you should also repeat some of the days before. So on day 6, also go over days 3/5 briefly again. And write .py code each day using as much of the past days info you learned. Repetition and doing stuff yourself (or changing existing .py files and seeing what happens) works for me. That way I make the information my own. I also like the small exercises on http://codingbat.com/python

[carrot]

I do the exercises one at a time, basically. Whichever chapter I'm on, I do the exercises on that. Although I back-read to understand the current chapter better, I don't actually repeat the exercises. I'll keep that in mind from now on. Thanks for the advice and that link!

[dlf]

At the risk of making all of HN think I work for Udacity, which I don't, I'm just going to go ahead and recommend Udacity's CS101 "Building a Search Engine" class. It truly is awesome. I signed up late for it and am working through it now. They'll be running the class again starting April 16th. I'm trying to beat the clock and get done in time to take the 200 level classes that start then.

Best of luck!

[carrot]

You know, the title of the class alone is enough to convince me that it's going to be awesome! I have no idea what Udacity is, though. I'm just going to do a search for it. And I just read that post about the lawyer who became a Ruby hacker so I was already thinking, "Right, I should probably learn how to actually build something." So this is perfect! I hope I become part of that upcoming class in April. Thanks!