Learn to program in Python (English)

The Python Programming Fundamentals course, developed by the open-source experts at AT Computing and exclusively available via Vijfhart, teaches you the basics of programming in Python and introduces you to Python’s unique features, from algorithmic thinking to object orientation. Python is easy to learn and widely applicable across many IT disciplines, including Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Cyber Security. It’s used for everything from system administration scripts and installation software on Linux to web applications, graphical user interfaces, and automation. Thanks to its built-in object-oriented design and extensive standard library, Python is ideal for rapid application development: building quickly and efficiently without reinventing the wheel each time. This course is perfect for anyone with little to no programming experience.

Over the span of five days, you work toward writing Python code independently. You start by learning the fundamentals of programming itself: how to translate a problem into a solution using algorithms. Along the way, you become familiar with key programming terminology and concepts that apply to any language. From there, you dive into Python learning the syntax, working with variables and data types, and understanding flow control. You also explore commonly used structures such as strings, lists, and dictionaries, and learn how Python handles mutable and immutable objects. The course also covers bits and bytes, number representation in binary, octal, and hexadecimal, working with files, and encoding.

Because theory and practice are closely connected throughout the course, you quickly start to truly understand the concepts. You practice writing your own functions and modules, learn how to handle errors with exception handling, and get to know the powerful Python Standard Library. On the final day, you explore GenAI and vibe coding, learning how to write effective prompts to generate useful code, how to assess AI-generated code, and how to combine it with your own work. You also practice identifying and handling errors, since AI sometimes produces code that is inefficient or incorrect, and it’s important to stay in control and think critically.