And Now For Something Completely Better

Join Python book author and software developer David Beazley for an experience that will take your Python skills to a new level. Forget every conception you might have about a typical training course---these classes are held at Dave's office in a round-table format that is strictly limited to 6 people. Thus, it's an opportunity to learn with someone who knows Python inside-out and to interact with other enthusiastic programmers who are just as excited about Python as you. Plus, there are other ammenities including close proximity to all of the restaurants and cafes in Chicago's distinctive Andersonville neighborhood. You won't be disappointed.

News! The Python Cookbook, 3rd Edition (O'Reilly & Associates) is coming to your bookstore in May. You can get it now as an early release.

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Practical Python Programming

[4.5 days] This course, designed for software developers, scientists, and engineers, is an intense introduction to the Python programming language and standard library. A major focus of the course is on using Python to process and manipulate data from various kinds of files and web services. Major topics include mastery of Python's core data types (tuples, lists, sets, dicts, etc.), import library modules, and use of third-party extensions such as numpy and matplotlib. Includes a 300 page guidebook and more than 50 hands-on exercises. This is the same course that Dave regularly teaches to rocket scientists.

Advanced Python Mastery

[4.5 days] So you learned Python from an online tutorial, a training course, or from a book, but you want to learn more. Then this is the course for you. Designed for working programmers who want to take their understanding to a whole new level, you'll learn what really makes Python tick. The course starts out by looking at subtle aspects of the Python code you are already writing, but then dives into a wide variety of advanced topics including the object model, data encapsulation, descriptors, generators, coroutines, context managers, decorators, metaclasses, packages, closures, and more. By the end of the course, you'll not only know what these features are, but how they can be applied to a wide range practical programming problems. Includes a 325 page guidebook and more than 50 hands on exercises.

March 6, 2013: Sold out! You can add yourself to the waitlist.

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Write a Compiler (In Python)

[5 days] The ultimate project course for serious programmers who want to challenge their skills against the task of writing a compiler in only 5 days. If you never got to take a compilers course in school or if you simply want to know how magical things like PyPy work under the covers, then this is the course for you. Covers just about everything that would be covered in an introductory level university compilers course including regular expressions, lexing, parsers and parser generators, abstract syntax trees, type systems, control flow graphs, code generation, and simple optimization. A major aspect of this course concerns the software engineering, design, and testing issues of writing a compiler. More than 90% of the time is spend coding.

March 6, 2013: Just two slots left. It's going to be fun, don't delay!

Classes are held at Dave's office, located on the second floor of the historic Calo Theater building in the heart of Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Located 8 miles north of downtown, Andersonville is filled with quality independent restaurants, cafes, bakeries, pubs, and boutiques. It's also the perfect place to attend a class and to relax afterwards. You will find the setting to be quite different than what you normally find at work, a conference, or a corporate training center.

Classroom facilities include a 10-ft conference table, mesh office chairs, a large projection screen, wireless internet, a copy/fax machine, a Curta, and a Superboard II. Want to look something up in a book? There is a technical library of several hundred programming titles including most of the major Python books in publication. Need to relax after the Spanish Inquisition? Chill out in the comfy chair.