The Self-Taught Programmer: The Definitive Guide to Programming Professionally Kindle Edition

This book isn't quite what I thought it was. There are lots of free resources and free online versions of many IT books, including for Python. I thought this one would be about the "other" things you need to know as a programmer that you might have missed in not getting a degree. But no, this is "just" another book about how to program in Python. BUT, it is a good one. Is this one worth the $5 on Kindle? Perhaps. Finding a book that doesn't progress too quickly for the beginner is not easy. Finding a book with good exercises isn't easy either. I've read a bunch because it's taking me a while to get a grasp on Python. I just finished Chapter 4 and so far am really liking this book. I bought the Kindle version which has been more than adequate. In fact, I've done most of the reading on the go on my phone, then when I get home I work through the exercises at the end of the chapters. The set of exercises at the end of each chapter start easy, then the next exercise gets a little more involved, then a little more involved, till you have practiced the main ideas in that chapter. I really like this. If I run into a difficulty, I know exactly where to look for the answer, because only one new concept per exercise was called for. From the courses I've done on Coursera and EdX, and a couple online Python books, I'd say I like these exercises the best. I just wish there were more of them. I'm not sure it gives answers to the questions, since I haven't seen any, but I haven't needed any. I haven't had any problems with the Kindle version. Each example has a link to a webpage that includes the example. This is useful, because the example lines sometimes are longer than the Kindle can display, so you can't see the end of the line.Overall, I wouldn't really expect much more than the other Python books out there offer, but I think the manner of his presentation might be a bit more "down to earth" for the beginner. If you are having trouble following a lot of the books and courses on Python, I'd recommend that you press on and read more books and take more courses and don't let yourself get stuck on the bits that seem hard right now. It all slowly starts making sense as you go on, things get cemented in your memory, and the different approaches to explaining things start helping you to fill in your gaps.I wouldn't say this is the best book out there, but I think it might be one of the better beginner's books. I also wouldn't say this tells you much more about programming in general than the other beginning books out there. Take a look for free IT books on the web and you'll find a lot, though when you find one you love, you might want to buy it to have it on hand and to support the author. So, I have mixed feelings about this one based on what it seemed to present itself as, but for what it is, it's pretty good.

This book does offer insight but is limited in depth and detailedness. Without proper background you will learn the bare minimum of Python, Git, Pip etc. that is less than satisfactory. You will be better off with a few Udemy courses.The author attempts to prepare you for every aspect of becoming a developer while even teaching you to code. This is an impossible quest that results in a shallow book.Instead I would definitely offer "The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide by John Somnez.

I started reading this book without any prior experience with programming. I finished with a solid, overview level understanding of the various skills and technologies necessary to work as an entry-level software developer. To get the most out of the book, I recommend:1) Read the book quickly cover-to-cover, glossing over any confusing parts.2) Read it again, more slowly, doing every exercise and typing/compiling every line of example code.

This book is one of the best, if not the best, resources I have come across to use when I decided to begin teaching myself how to code. The content is clear and concisely presented in steps that gradually build on each other in a way that allows you to follow along smoothly. This book also tackles the questions I had (and even a few I didn't know I SHOULD have had) about breaking into the programming industry as a self-taught programmer. I've finished working through this book, but I still use it as a reference for when I come across code that is confusing or poorly written to break it down and figure it out. I highly recommend this book to ALL people who decide to venture out and teach themselves programming.

After learning FORTRAN and procedural programming decades ago, I was at a lost when trying to retool with OOP languages such as Python. I read a couple of books that went over code and concepts. But I felt like something was missing. I could write simplistic programs but didn't think I was utilizing the full benefit of Python.Althoff's book helped fill in the gaps. He gave the most lucid explanation of OOP concepts that I've come across, as well as touching on practical subjects such as the command line, bash, regex, and GitHub. As a result I feel more empowered to write meaningful code. There's also a lot of good advice in the book about how to code.Other books will contain more information about syntax and GUIs. Read one of them, then buy Althoff's book. It's really a must-read if you're trying to learn Python on your own.

This book gives much of the same information that other introductory books cover. The author focuses on Python and Git Bash version control. I was hoping for some new insights or new explanations but I feel that most the information found here is accessible elsewhere. It's not a bad first programming book to pick up, in fact the author explains some concepts quite well - but don't expect more than that.

Good for beginners. Challenges are very helpful to reaffirm what you've learned. Author uses color to help illustrate the code. I'm enjoying this Kindle book.

A lot of people claim this book, "Isn't what they thought it would be," but for me it's what I exactly thought it would be. You see, I've been coding for most of my life trying to find something that would work for me. So, when I say I like Cory Althoff's book The Self-Taught Programmer, I truly mean it. To me, space is everything so I will put this as best I can: you can learn Python programming very simply from him with this simple, small book. He gives you the tools that helped him be the Python programmer he is. I think that says it all.

I would not be surprised if the author has a teaching background, because this book is exceptionally good. It is clear, concise, unambiguous and easy to follow. I'm about half way through it and thoroughly enjoying the experience. I have the Kindle edition, which is convenient when working through the examples in the book and trying the exercises on my computer. For anyone starting out with Python, this is the book you need to get you up and running quickly.The advantage of having a kindle edition is that there are active links in the book that take you to the example code and exercise answers on the associated website, which is very convenient. But....., I like this book so much that I might order the printed version also.Thoroughly deserves five stars in my opinion. Very well written by an erudite author.

I’m a fellow self taught programmer writing scientific applications in python in my day job. My main interest in this book was in checking I hadn’t missed anything on my self taught travels. I felt reassured that the author highlights key technologies like Git and bash - being able to use these is just as crucial for my group as python itself so I will recommend this text to them. Maybe a section on Anaconda and perhaps an appendix with useful python libraries and a one liner for each explaining their uses would be handy for beginners (pandas, numpy, scipy are ,my go to libraries) . Great job !

Very interesting book for someone who has a basic knowledge about programming. Recommended for all. Might be a bit to quick with information you have to absorbs but it's not for total beginners.

This book is pretty much a python tutorial from the internet with about 15 pages at the end talking about getting a career in software engineer. If you are interested in learning Python in-depth as a beginner, with projects, buy Python Crash Course instead.

Great book!! Simple and easy to read. Of course you'll have to work harder to master the language.However, it is a joy to read.