Real Python Podcast E268 Title Image

Episode 268: Advice on Beginning to Learn Python

The Real Python Podcast

Oct 03, 2025 52m basics ai best-practices projects

What’s changed about learning Python over the last few years? What new techniques and updated advice should beginners have as they start their journey? This week on the show, Stephen Gruppetta and Martin Breuss return to discuss beginning to learn Python.

We share techniques for finding motivation, building projects, and learning the fundamentals. We provide advice on installing Python and not obsessing over finding the perfect editor. We also examine incorporating LLMs into learning to code and practicing asking good questions.

Stephen shares details about our upcoming eight-week live course, Python for Beginners: Code With Confidence.

Topics:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction
  • 00:02:36 – Martin’s teaching background
  • 00:02:57 – Stephen’s teaching background
  • 00:04:07 – Having a vested interest in learning
  • 00:08:35 – No shortcut to learning the fundamentals
  • 00:09:21 – Parallels to learning a foreign language
  • 00:12:43 – What’s different about starting to learn Python now?
  • 00:15:03 – Stephen’s journey to coaching and using LLMs
  • 00:16:20 – Are LLMs helpful for learning?
  • 00:18:50 – Teaching what you’ve learned to someone else
  • 00:19:38 – Learning how to ask good questions
  • 00:22:11 – Improved error messages
  • 00:24:35 – REPL: Read Evaluate Print Loop
  • 00:26:33 – Video Course Spotlight
  • 00:27:48 – Installing Python and choosing an editor
  • 00:35:16 – Considering the scale of beginner projects
  • 00:37:39 – Should a beginner be concerned with making Pythonic code?
  • 00:40:55 – Using LLM tools and defining your level of skill
  • 00:42:39 – Python for Beginners: Code With Confidence - live course
  • 00:47:32 – Looking at projects - Awesome Python
  • 00:48:02 – Asking an LLM to explain the code generated
  • 00:50:46 – Debuggers and seeing code run
  • 00:51:23 – Thanks and goodbye

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