The comprehensive Intro+Intermediate Python course delivered publically
2-3x per year, and the Advanced Python course is offered once a year or
every other year, depending on demand. The last 3 courses are extremely
targeted Python courses that are taught "on-demand." We also teach these courses
privately for corporations.
More info on our courses and pending schedule is available here.
Who attends your courses?
Those who attend our courses may work in any of the following professions:
Profile of Intro+Intermediate Python attendees:
This is no "beginners" class that is similar to those taught at local
colleges... it is a comprehensive expose in the fundamentals of the
Python language targeted towards technical individuals who program
periodically or full-time who may be new to Python or are already
familiar with it but want more formal and in-depth training to be
even more effective using it. They don't want a course that is
"dumbed-down" or sugar-coated with an instructor who is not a
professional software developer.
Profile of Advanced Python attendees:
This course for those who are already familiar with Python
and would like to go deeper into the fundamentals as well as apply their
craft towards very specific areas of application programming.
Are there any prerequisites?
The only requirement for the comprehensive Intro+Intermediate course
is that you have experience in another high-level programming language like
C/C++, Java, Ruby, PHP, JavaScript, Perl, VB/Basic, Unix shell, etc.
Even if you know some Python, you need to take this course if you cannot
confidently answer this quiz
question and being able to describe not only what the answer is,
but WHY.
What are the course fees?
The cost (per person) our courses: $1295US
(Intro+Intermediate course) or $1495US (Advanced
course); a reduced fee of $1095US is available for
the 2-day version of the Advanced course.
Enrollment is limited to the first 20 or so confirmed
(paid) registrations, depending on the size of the venue. An
invoice will be made available to you after you register. Your
enrollment is confirmed upon receipt of payment.
We also offer many
discounts to clients.
Can I get a refund if I have to cancel?
Your registration will be cancelled and tuition refunded if the course is
already full by the time payment is received. You will also receive a full
refund if we have to cancel for any reason. There are no refunds
within 60 days of the course.
WARNING: Do not make travel arrangements too early, as we are not
responsible for already-incurred travel costs if a course must be cancelled.
We will send a notification out when there are enough seats so that a course
will proceed as scheduled; it is at this time (around ~30-45 days before the
scheduled course date) when travel can be booked.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept personal, company, or cashiers/bank checks, credit cards (Visa,
MasterCard, American Express, Discover), and
approved Purchase Orders (with PO numbers) Although processed by PayPal,
a PayPal account is not required to pay by credit card.
If you do have a PayPal account, you may also submit an eCheck
(ACH/EFT) payment.
For credit card payments, be sure to select this option on the registration
page. Once completed, you will be taken to a confirmation page where you
will find a button that links directly to PayPal. Be aware that: (1)
registrations using credit card payments aren't eligible for multiple
registration discounts, and (2) that any refunds due to cancellation
must be issued within 60 days of when payment occurred. If you
contact us too late, no refund may be possible. Also, (3) any refunds
must go back onto the original credit card. By selecting to pay by credit
card, you agree to such terms.
For international registrations, we accept the following types of payment
in USD: international money orders and credit cards.
Do you accept late registrations?
Yes. You may bring your payment to the venue on the first day of the
course. If there is still room available, you may register and join
the class. However, be aware that you may not receive course materials
on the first day as we only anticipate a few late enrollments.
Do you provide private corporate training?
Yes. A company can reduce their overall training costs if there are enough
registrations to hold the course on-site rather than flying an entire team
in for a public course. There is also the advantage that it will be held
in your facilities so the course can be customized to your Python projects.
Contact us at
cyberweb@rocketmail.com
for more details.
What is provided with registration (and what isn't)?
You will receive the full set of course notes (230+ pages), all the
handouts and lab exercises, and of course, your instructor's delivery of
all content. Also, a copy of Core Python
Programming will be provided for each student. All the lab
exercises can be found in the book, and source code is available on the
book's website.
You are responsible for travel and lodging arrangements as well as
your meals. We will provide refreshments throughout
the day however. There are many food and shopping choices within a
10-minute walk and plenty more in a 10-minute drive.
Where is the course location?
Our public courses are generally taught at a facility near the San
Francisco International Airport (SFO) just south of the city:
Staybridge Suites
1350 Huntington Ave
San Bruno, CA 94066-1301
+1 650 588 0770
They provide free high-speed Internet access in each room and airport
shuttle service. Staybridge is part of the InterContinental and Holiday
Inn hotel families and is a member of the Priority Club Rewards
program.
Public transit is closeby (see below). If you don't want to walk, the hotel
shuttle service can take you to either station as well as anywhere within a
5-mile radius around the hotel! If you prefer to stay elsewhere, there are
many alternatives nearby... search for accomodations in the same ZIP code.
Is there is hotel discount if staying at the venue?
Yes. There is a discounted "Python Training" rate, however it is not
available online, and neither the national reservations agents nor the front
desk have access to it. In order to receive the special rate, you must contact
Paul Pascua directly by phone at the number above or by email:
Paul.Pascua@ihg.com
When should I book my travel arrangements?
It is possible that we have not reserved the training
room yet so the discount may not be available if you book early --
in these cases, you can wait till later to book your room, or book
first, then get your rate adjusted once the discount is available.
Also as mentioned earlier, we only book the venue when we have
enough confirmed registrations, so do not purchase a non-refundable
plane ticket in case we do have to cancel. We will let you know
when it's safe to book travel.
Can you tell me more about how to take public transit?
The San Bruno BART station is almost just across the street from the
hotel (3-5 minute walk). For more info, including a trip planner,
visit BART's website.
CalTrain is slightly further away (about 1 mile) -- we highly recommend that
you take your bicycle. It's a good excuse to get a free workout, and CalTrain
has train cars specifically outfitted for bicyclists. If you take this option,
be sure to buy your ticket first. You can't buy tickets on the trains
anymore. The ticket vending machines accept cash or credit cards and are
easy-to-use. Then stand with your bike on the northern most end of the
platform. The bicycle car is always the one in front going northbound and
always the last heading south. You can find out more information from
CalTrain's website.
Also (unlike BART), food and drink (including alcohol) are allowed on the
rain, so feel free to bring your breakfast on-board after your morning ride
to the station. Be sure to get on a train that stops at the San Bruno
station! Due to the number of express trains, not all will stop there.
Once you get off the train, take your bike and head north (towards town and
away from the residential area). You are on Huntington Avenue. There
are a few twists and turns, but get back on course, staying on Huntington as
the hotel is at 1350 Huntington. You know you going the right direction when
you pass the casino on your left, then later on, go under the (I-380) freeway.
You will know you are getting close when you ride past the Tanforan Shopping
Center and the San Bruno BART station to your left. One more twist and a right
turn (yes, from Huntington to Huntington), and the hotel will be just past
the Post Office on your right.
What are some online resources for visiting the San Francisco Bay Area?
What should I bring?
A laptop or notebook computer is required for the course. Don't forget your
power and Ethernet cables and network card. There won't be Internet access
during class, but you may wish to connect from your room. Also, if you have
one, bring a USB drive to backup, archive, and/or share your work.
If possible, try to have Python installed on your system before you arrive.
(It's okay if you don't.) You may use any computer platform and operating
system any Python 2.4 and newer.
Mac OS X: relax... it's already installed (10.2+)
Linux/*BSD: relax... most have it installed; if not, get it via your package manager
others: if all else fails, build from the source by
downloading the
TGZ
or
BZ2; build then install with ./configure; make; make install
If attending the advanced course, you should also install the
appropriate database system and Win32 Extensions. (See the
course
description for more details.)
Are there any course discounts available? Yes!
Companies:
Multiple enrollments: registration of 2-3 attendees from the same
company will receive a 5% discount.
For 4 or more attendees, the discount is 10%
discount. Payment must be submitted as a check or PO...
credit card payments are not eligible for the discount.
Students/Teachers:
Full-time secondary (high school) and college/university students
get a significant 50% discount.
You must be attending full-time at a valid educational institution
and can prove it on school letterhead. The same discount is offered
to teachers or instructors at secondary schools only. University
and/or vocational staff members and part-time students do NOT qualify
for the discount. If eligible, just select the student/teacher
box when registering. This discount is only valid on courses whose
fees exceed $1000 and cannot be combined with other discounts.
Financial Hardship:
If you were laidoff and/or unemployed (and can prove it, such as your RIF
letter, collection of unemployment, etc.), or qualify for low-income
assistance such as welfare, food stamps, and reduced utility
bills (and can prove it), you also will receive the
50% discount.
Just select the student/teacher checkbox when registering.
This discount is only valid on courses whose fees exceed $1000
and cannot be combined with other discounts.
Repeat Attendees:
Repeat attendees get a 50% discount
off the same course taken in the past. (If I don't remember you, you'll
need to provide proof.) Just select the student/teacher checkbox when
registering. This discount is only valid on courses whose fees exceed
$1000 and cannot be combined with other discounts.
When are the next sessions being taught?
We offer the intro course at least once a year and the advanced course
once every other year. Check the course announcements for details when
dates are finalized. Our other courses are all taught "on-demand" and
not currently scheduled at this time. Contact us for information.
What are the daily course topics and schedules?
Daily Schedule
8a-9a
lab* (unsupervised)
9a-11a
instruction (break around 10a)
11a-11:45a
lab
11:45a-1p
lunch
1p-3p
instruction (break around 2p)
3p-3:30p
lab
3:30p-4:30p
instruction
4:30p-5p
lab
5p-6p
lab (unsupervised)
*
There is no early lab on the
first day... registration
begins at 8:45a.
Intro+Intermediate Python
Day 1 (~120 slides)
• Welcome/Introduction
• Python 2 vs. Python 3
• Syntax and Style
• Operators, Built-Ins
• Python Objects
• Data Types
• References
• Memory Model
• Loops
• Conditional Statements
Day 2 (~80 slides)
• Files and I/O
• Errors and Exceptions
• Best Practices
• Functions
• Functional Programming
Day 3 (~60 slides)
• Modules and Packages
• Object-Oriented Programming
• Changes in the Language
• Conclusion
• Web Programming
• Introduction to Django
• Database Programming
• Extending Python with C (time-permitting)
•
Text Processing
•
Microsoft Office Programming
•
Web Services/APIs
•
Java and Jython