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by minimaxir 3986 days ago
> After 7 months of self studies, I can add “Python programmer” to my resume and I didn’t have to get a loan to pay for College

You probably shouldn't put "took free online classes" as evidence of expertise on a resume. That's not sufficient evidence of actual proficiency in the language.

It's also the reason why many advocate having a populated GitHub profile in lieu of professional experience/learning.

3 comments

I agree. I don't see any evidence he has attempted to solve any problem or made something with Python. This is the measure of proficiency.
I have a Github Account actually where I post my codes.

Here is the link for my github: https://github.com/aysin

It's true but it's more of an evidence than graduating from college anyway.

(not to dismiss college education here but what you get there are good theoretical fundamentals not anywhere close to proficiency in programming or specific languages)

I don't know whether you went to college/university or not, but my program definitely gives you both of those things, in addition to very good theoretical fundamentals. Not to say that you've got the necessary real-world experience after completing it, but you're well on your way.
Depends on your program. Schools vary widely in what they offer. Depending on the university, you could get a job in IT or a research lab and write code there.

Most engineers I know doing non trivial machine learning work got their start in university labs.

Just to clarify, the author is female.
I think it's appropriate to say that they are familiar with the language at least, perhaps in a 'technical skills' section. They might be able to pass a technical interview if it was designed for an entry-level or intern position, which is what they should be applying for anyway.
Thank you for the advice. I am quite new...just getting hang of it.
Do you have a github account Aoruz? If not, it's a must to show your work.

It can be difficult to grasp, I recommend checking out this resource to learn how to use it: https://try.github.io/levels/1/challenges/1