What is the crowd's opinion of CheckIO?

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As you go through LPtHW--and any other tutorials/sites you're looking at now--try to think of something you want to build with Python.

• A website of some kind?

• A simple game?

• Fiddling around with Arduino boards?

• Creating data visualizations?

• Machine learning?

• A simple tool that grabs data about your favorite sports team, does some analysis, and spits out results into a text file?

And if no specific project leaps out at you, that's okay, too. Once you're comfortable with LPtHW, there are plenty of websites out there with projects/problems at various levels of difficulty:

• Project Euler

• New Coder

• CheckiO

• etc, etc

Grab something that doesn't seem trivial and make some progress towards it.

Also, when you start doing this, put your code out there. Since you don't have any work experience, you can show your passion for code by putting stuff up on GitHub (and although Bitbucket is technically an alternative, I'd recommend GitHub for someone in your situation, since it has a lot more visibility).

Download the Anaconda distribution for easy Python install with libraries. It will also install LiClipse (Eclipse lightweight). Found here: https://store.continuum.io/cshop/anaconda/ (might get some security warnings, but it is fine).

checkio is a great resource for actually testing if your code passes unit tests (and is kind of fun too: https://www.checkio.org/)

Get GNS3 and start setting up the things you learn in the CCNA/JNCIA (the biggest issue is getting the IOS to use but if you search around there are ways to get them)

I would look at the Cisco CCNA routing and Switching and maybe get familiar with ASAs

Learn Python

• http://learnpythonthehardway.org/
• https://www.checkio.org/
• https://pynet.twb-tech.com/ (once you get a grasp of python and what it can do)

If you have a semi modern/decent computer download virtual box and load up virtual machines for Linux and Windows (and python)

Subscribe to his channel and follow this playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYXdXT2l-Gg&list=PL-osiE80TeTskrapNbzXhwoFUiLCjGgY7

After finishing it, go to checkio.org and start solving some problems (at least the first two islands).

After that find some beginner level book to consolidate your knowledge.

Some good suggestions in here.
I would also suggest pick a project and do it, then do another, and another, etc.
You might also like this website for some extra challenges: https://www.checkio.org/

Python, as already mentioned would be a good place to start. There will be more resources for Python than MATLAB, unless you need MATLAB now start with Python.

1. /r/learnprogramming
2. codecademy.com
3. Checkio.org
4. Stackoverflow.com (put stackoverflow in front of your technical searches in google eg: "stackoverflow python lists")

Software development to be good enough to freelance can be learned online without college courses.

/r/programming CodeCademy LearnCodeTheHardWay

are all free. With that you'd have enough knowledge to get some easy freelance code in and either make that your living or use the experience to get a 9-5. If you learn Python there are challenging game communities like https://www.checkio.org/ to help improve you after you've learned from sites like CodeCademy.