Solidify your Python web skills in two days at PyCon US 2013

PyCon US 2013 is coming up in March. It is in beautiful Santa Clara, right outside of Palo Alto / San Francisco.

The main conference is sold out, but there are still a few spots open for the tutorial sessions.

(Here’s a secret: the tutorials are where I’ve always learned the most at PyCon.)

Most of PyCon’s attendees are Python experts and practitioners. However, Python is one of the world’s greatest programming languages because it is one of its most teachable and learnable. Attending PyCon is a great way to rapidly move yourself from the “novice” to “expert” column in Python programming skills.

This year, there is an excellent slate of tutorial sessions available before the conference starts. These cost $150 each, which is a tremendous value for a 3-hour, in-depth session on a Python topic. I know of a lot of people who are getting into Python as a way to build web applications. There is actually a great “novice web developer” track in this year’s tutorials, which I’ll outline in this page.

Here’s a suggested set of tutorials that will get a novice Python programmer to a strong web development skill level in just two days:

Day 1, Morning

• Python for Programmers: A Project-Based Tutorial
• A hands-on introduction to Python for beginning programmers

Day 1, Afternoon

• Rapid Web Prototyping with Lightweight Tools
• Learn Python Through Public Data Hacking

Day 2, Morning

• Fully Test-Driven Web Development with Django and Selenium
• Scripting: from Hard-drive to Github to PyPI

Day 2, Afternoon

• Wiring up Django Packages
• Introduction to SQLAlchemy

I’ve bolded my suggested web-related session in each time slot, and also provided one alternate in case the suggestion doesn’t meet your fancy. (Full disclosure: I’m the instructor for the “Rapid Web Prototyping” one.)

Also, I have a blog post, “import this: The Zen of Python” with some of my publicly available materials for Python learning. I suggest you look these over before the conference. Having some basic Python skills before you go into the tutorial will make sure you get the most value out of it.

Did I convince you that this is a good way to spend a couple days in March? I hope so. If so, register here!