31 March 2014

So you want to learn Python. What's next?

So in ten days I will be in Montréal for PyCon2014.

So in two weeks I will be presenting a poster.

I'm honoured and grateful to be there. If I should start thanking everyone who's helped me, I'd get too tearful, you would space out, and anyway I would forget someone and then feel terrible. I just hope that I'll be able to tackle these people without being annoying and thank them in person. I don't think that a cup of coffee makes up for two dozens emails exchanged due to my clumsiness, but I can try. Sugar, milk?

But now! Onwards with the main reason why I'm writing here!

The poster I'm presenting is a road map. Not a roadmap, a road map.

Let's say that you can survive in Python, but not much more. If Python were a natural language and you were visiting its country, you could ask for some water in a cafe; but you couldn't discuss with the waiter which wine goes better with your dinner. You know the basics. You like it (otherwise: why are you at PyCon?!) but now you want more.

But there's so much to explore in this Python country! Which way should you go first? And how should you get there?

And here's why the poster is a road map and not a roadmap: there is no should.

There are many travel guides out there, and all but a few of them are a guided tour. I'm here to give you a travel guide to navigate between travel guides, and a map to plan your own tour jumping on an off the buses of their guided tours.

When I was planning this poster I thought about handouts. The handouts should have been a smaller version of the poster. But wait! There's not enough space to do justice to the resources that you can use, even if I'm selecting just a few, and include the graphical part of the poster! But wait! There's not enough space to do justice to the resources that I want to tell you about, period!

But wait! I have a blog! A blog with posts and tags!

In the next days I will review some resources that you can use to take your Python to an intermediate level. The posts will be tagged with the title of my poster.

So, if you're at PyCon on the 13th April 2014 and you want to have a hat, or just to say hello, look for So you want to learn Python. What's next? in the poster session. I will be there.

If you're not at PyCon on the 13th April 2014 but you're interested in the topic, watch this space.

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