About This Offering

This course introduces core Python techniques, including coding for task efficiency, handling information, and creating simple tools. You'll build hands-on experience that supports both professional growth and technical confidence.

Registration form

Dr. Shubham Chatterjee

Email: shubham.chatterjee@mst.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubham-chatterjee  
  • Course cost: Early bird registration rate of $999 till September 25 and then $1,199.
  • Dates: Oct 9-10
  • Location: 2127 Innerbelt Business Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63114
    • The program will be held in person, with a livestream option if needed.
  • Target Audience:
    • Business professionals with little to no programming experience 
    • Engineers from other disciplines seeking Python skills 
    • Analysts wanting to enhance their data processing capabilities 
    • Managers looking to understand technical possibilities for their teams 
    • Career changers exploring tech opportunities 
  • Prerequisites:
    • Basic computer literacy (file management, using applications) 
    • Comfort with spreadsheets (Excel/Google Sheets) helpful but not required 
    • Willingness to learn through hands-on practice 
    • No prior programming experience necessary
  • Technical Requirements:
    • Required Software (we'll install together): 
      • Python 3.9+ (latest stable version) 
      • Visual Studio Code or Jupyter Notebook 
      • Git (for version control basics) 
    • Python Libraries (installed during setup): 
      • pandas (data manipulation and analysis) 
      • matplotlib & seaborn (data visualization) 
      • requests (API interactions) 
      • beautifulsoup4 (web scraping) 
      • openpyxl (Excel file handling) 
      • python-dotenv (environment management) 
    • Hardware: Laptop with at least 4GB RAM, 2GB free storage 

At the end of this course, you'll gain:

  1. Immediate Practical Skills: Write Python scripts that solve real business problems 
  2. Automation Capabilities: Streamline repetitive tasks and improve workflow efficiency 
  3. Data Analysis Foundation: Extract insights from datasets and create compelling visualizations 
  4. API Integration Skills: Connect to web services and automate data collection 
  5. Web Scraping Abilities: Gather data from websites for competitive analysis or research 
  6. Professional Development: Build a portfolio of projects to showcase your new skills 

Day 1: Python Fundamentals for Automation & Scripting 

Daily Theme: "From Manual to Automated - Building Your First Tools" 

Learning Objectives 

By the end of Day 1, you will: 

  • Set up a professional Python development environment
  • Write basic Python programs with confidence
  • Create reusable functions for common tasks
  • Handle files and errors like a pro
  • Build your first automation script 

Detailed Schedule

Time Topic Activities & Key Concepts Practical Outcomes
09:00 - 09:30 Welcome & Environment Setup
  • Course introduction and networking
  • Python installation walkthrough
  • VS Code configuration
  • Testing your setup
 • Working Python environment
• First "Hello, World!" program
09:30 - 10:30 Python Fundamentals
  • Variables and data types in context
  • String manipulation for real scenarios
  • User input and formatted output

Exercise: Build a personal information formatter

 • Dynamic text processing scripts
• Understanding of Python syntax
10:30 - 10:40 Break Networking opportunity  
10:40 - 11:40 Control Flow & Logic
  • Lists for data organization
  • Loops for repetitive tasks
  • Conditional logic for decision making
Exercise: Grade calculator with multiple conditions		 • Scripts that make decisions
• Processing collections of data
11:40 - 11:50 Break    
11:50 - 12:50 Functions & Code Organization
  • Writing reusable functions
  • Parameters and return values
  • Code documentation best practices
Exercise: Build a utility library		 • Modular, reusable code
• Professional coding habits
12:50 - 13:50 Lunch Break    
13:50 - 14:50 File Operations & Error Handling
  • Reading and writing text files
  • CSV file processing
  • Exception handling strategies
Exercise: Process employee data files		 • Robust file processing scripts
• Error-resistant programs
14:50 - 15:00 Break    
15:00 - 16:30 Mini Project: Business Automation Tool Choose Your Adventure:
Option A: Server log analyzer
Option B: Expense report processor
Option C: Email list cleaner
Individual coding with instructor support		 • Complete automation script
• Real-world problem solving
• Portfolio project #1
16:30 - 17:00 Day 1 Wrap-Up
  • Code review and sharing
  • Key concept reinforcement
  • Preview of Day 2 capabilities
  • Q&A session
 • Confidence in Python basics
• Ready for data challenges

Deliverables

  • Personal utility function library 
  • Working automation script (mini project) 
  • Understanding of Python development workflow 

Day 2: Python for Real-World Data Tasks 

Daily Theme: "From Data Chaos to Business Intelligence"

Learning Objectives 

By the end of Day 2, you will: 

  • Extract data from APIs and websites
  • Analyze and visualize datasets professionally
  • Build complete data processing pipelines
  • Create presentation-ready charts and reports
  • Develop a comprehensive capstone project 

Detailed Schedule

Time Topic Activities & Key Concepts Practical Outcomes
09:00 - 10:00 API Integration with requests
  • Understanding REST APIs
  • Authentication methods
  • JSON data processing
Exercise: Weather data fetcher
Exercise: Stock price tracker		 • Live data integration skills
• API-powered applications
10:00 - 10:10 Break    
10:10 - 11:10 Data Analysis with pandas
  • Loading various file formats
  • Data cleaning and transformation
  • Filtering and grouping data
  • Statistical summaries
Exercise: Sales data analysis		 • Professional data manipulation
• Business insights from data
11:10 - 11:20 Break    
11:20 - 12:20 Data Visualization Mastery
  • matplotlib fundamentals
  • seaborn for statistical plots
  • Creating publication-ready charts
  • Interactive visualizations
Exercise: Dashboard creation		 • Compelling data presentations
• Executive-ready visualizations
12:20 - 13:20 Lunch Break Continue networking and discuss insights  
13:20 - 14:20 Web Scraping with BeautifulSoup
  • HTML structure understanding
  • Ethical scraping practices
  • Data extraction techniques
  • Handling dynamic content
Exercise: Competitor price monitoring		 • Automated data collection
• Competitive intelligence tools
14:20 - 14:30 Break    
14:30 - 16:30 Capstone Project: End-to-End Data Solution Industry-Focused Options:
  • Business Intelligence: Customer analysis dashboard
  • Operations: Supply chain monitoring system
  • Marketing: Social media sentiment tracker
  • Finance: Investment portfolio analyzer
  • Team formation and individual development
 • Complete data pipeline
• Professional portfolio piece
• Demonstration of all learned skills
16:30 - 17:00 Final Presentations & Graduation Project demonstrations and wrap-up  

Deliverables

  • API integration script
  • Data analysis and visualization notebook
  • Web scraping application
  • Complete capstone project with documentation 

Technical Skills Acquired 

Upon successful completion, participants will demonstrate proficiency in: 

Core Programming 

  • Python syntax, data types, and control structures
  • Function design and modular programming
  • Error handling and debugging techniques
  • File I/O operations and data processing 

Data & API Skills 

  • REST API consumption and data extraction
  • Pandas for data manipulation and analysis
  • Statistical analysis and business metrics calculation
  • Professional data visualization and reporting 

Automation & Integration 

  • Web scraping for competitive intelligence
  • Task automation and workflow optimization
  • Integration with external services and databases
  • Version control and code organization 

Business Applications 

  • Process automation to increase efficiency
  • Data-driven decision making capabilities
  • Competitive analysis through web scraping
  • Custom reporting and dashboard creation
  • Integration of multiple data sources