Python Learning Paths
Take your coding skills to the next level with Real Python’s accelerated study plans for beginner, intermediate, and advanced Python developers.
At Real Python, you can learn all things Python from the ground up. Everything from the absolute basics of Python, to web development and web scraping, to data visualization, and beyond.
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced Pythonista, our custom-made learning paths will take your skills to the next level with accelerated, hands-on study plans.
All of the resources in our learning paths were created by professional Python developers with years of experience to ensure that you’re learning the skills and techniques that really matter.
You’ll find your way through an entire Python curriculum, so you’ll always know what to focus on next.
Browse Learning Paths: Ready to continue your Python journey? Pick your learning path below and jump right in, or search and filter learning paths by topic and skill level.
Absolute Basics
If you’re completely new to programming and Python, then start your learning journey with the Python Basics learning path, which is designed to pick you up at the ground floor and carry you to basic proficiency with Python. After finishing this learning path, you’ll be well equipped to tackle any of our beginner learning paths.
Learning Path
Python Basics: Introduction to Python
17 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python 3 Fundamentals, Real-World Projects
Python Core Language: Basics
Get a jump start on your Python career with our learning resources designed for beginners. Here you’ll find fundamental concepts for Python beginners, which will help you get started on your journey to learn Python. These tutorials focus on the absolute essentials that you need to know about Python.
Learning Path
Revisit Python Fundamentals
11 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Variables, Data Types, REPL, Operators, Expressions, Exceptions, Comments, Keywords, IDLE, String Conversion
Learning Path
I/O Operations and String Formatting
8 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Fundamentals, I/O, String Formatting
Learning Path
Python Control Flow and Loops
11 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Control Flow, for Loops, while Loops, break, continue, Context Managers
Learning Path
Python Data Structures
18 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Strings, Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries, Sets, List Comprehensions, range()
Learning Path
Functions and Scopes
7 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Functions, Scope, Arguments, Parameters, Return, Globals
Python Core Language: Intermediate
Once you’re past the basics, you can start digging into our intermediate-level tutorials, which will teach you new Python concepts. This category is for intermediate Python developers who already know the basics of Python development and want to expand their knowledge.
Learning Path
Perfect Your Python Development Setup
12 Resources ⋅ Skills: VS Code, PyCharm, Venv, Pyenv, Docker, Git, GitHub
Learning Path
Modules and Packages
9 Resources ⋅ Skills: Packages, Modules, Import System, pip, PyPI
Learning Path
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
14 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, OOP, Classes, Data Classes, Getters, Setters, Property, super(), SOLID, Inheritance, Composition, Factory Pattern
Learning Path
Files and File Streams
10 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Pathlib, File I/O, Serialization, Encoding, Unicode, PDF, WAV
Learning Path
Exceptions, Logging, and Debugging
6 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Exceptions, Logging, Debugging, pdb
Learning Path
Classic Data Structures and Algorithms
18 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Data Structures, Stacks, Queues, Linked Lists, Hash Tables, Enums, Search Algorithms
Learning Path
Important Standard Library Modules
15 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Stdlib, math, datetime, JSON, CSV, Regex, collections, subprocess, argparse
Learning Path
Functional Programming With Python
13 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Functional Programming, Lambda Functions, Built-in Functions, Map, Filter, Reduce, Scope, Decorators, Recursion, Code Efficiency, Readability
Learning Path
Generators and Generator Expressions
4 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Iterators, Iterables, Itertools, Asynchronous Iterations, Generators, Yield
Learning Path
Write More Pythonic Code
15 Resources ⋅ Skills: Zen of Python, PEP 8 Standards, Application Layouts, Duck Typing, Type Checking, Type Hints, Code Documentation, MkDocs, Clean Code, Maintainable Code
Learning Path
Testing and Continuous Integration
7 Resources ⋅ Skills: Unit Testing, Doctest, Mock Object Library, Pytest, Continuous Integration, Docker, Code Quality, Test Automation, Software Testing, CI/CD
Python Core Language: Advanced
In this section, you’ll find Python learning resources that teach you advanced concepts so you can be on your way to becoming a master of the Python programming language. Once you’re past the intermediate level, you can start digging into these tutorials and courses, which will teach you advanced Python concepts and patterns.
Learning Path
Concurrency and Async Programming
7 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Concurrency, Async IO, Global Interpreter Lock, Thread Safety, Parallel Processing, Performance Optimization, Multithreading, Code Efficiency
Learning Path
Database Access With Python
6 Resources ⋅ Skills: SQL Libraries, SQLite, SQLAlchemy, Redis, MySQL, MongoDB, ChromaDB, Data Management, NoSQL Databases, Vector Databases
Learning Path
Python Metaprogramming
4 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Metaclasses, Descriptors, Dynamic Code Execution, exec(), eval(), Code Evaluation, Python Internals
Learning Path
Network Programming and Security
4 Resources ⋅ Skills: CRUD Operations, REST API Integration, HTTPS, Socket Programming, Network Security, Web Services, Networking, Application Security, Data Transmission
Learning Path
Create Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
12 Resources ⋅ Skills: Tkinter, PyQt, wxPython, Kivy, GUI Layouts, Event Handling, Database Integration, Thread Management, Mobile App Development, GUI Design
Learning Path
Understand CPython
9 Resources ⋅ Skills: Python, Pointers, Memory Management, Profiling, CPython Source Code, C Extensions, Python Bindings, Memory Mapping, Performance Optimization
Learning Path
Ace Your Python Coding Interview
7 Resources ⋅ Skills: Coding Interviews, Practice Problems, CSV Parsing, Data Engineering, Python Books, PyCon Talks, Problem-Solving, Interview Preparation, Coding Challenges
Python Beyond the Core Language
You’re ready to explore what Python can do outside of its core functionality! Leverage Python’s powerful ecosystem for real-world applications like web development, data science, machine learning, and more. Dive into paths about popular frameworks and libraries such as Flask, Django, NumPy, and Pandas. Work through any of these paths side-by-side, or skip those that you’re not interested in.
Learning Path
Become a Python Web Developer
14 Resources ⋅ Skills: Web Development, Django, Flask, APIs
Learning Path
Data Science With Python Core Skills
15 Resources ⋅ Skills: Pandas, NumPy, Data Cleaning, Data Visualization
Learning Path
Math for Data Science
5 Resources ⋅ Skills: Statistics, Correlation, Linear Regression, Logistic Regression
Learning Path
Data Visualization With Python
10 Resources ⋅ Skills: NumPy, Matplotlib, Bokeh, Seaborn, pandas
Learning Path
GUI Programming With PyQt
8 Resources ⋅ Skills: Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), Databases
Learning Path
pandas for Data Science
13 Resources ⋅ Skills: pandas, Data Science, Data Visualization
Learning Path
Machine Learning With Python
26 Resources ⋅ Skills: Image Processing, Text Classification, Speech Recognition
How to Select a Path That’s Right for You?
Learning Python isn’t a one-size-fits-all task, so think about why you’re here. What do you want to do with Python? Think about where you want to go, and then consider what skills you’ll need to get there.
If you jump into a learning path and get stuck, you can always ask for help in the Real Python Community Chat or at Office Hours. Those are also great places to hear from other programmers who have been in your shoes and may have suggestions on where to start.