I'm basically on the same boat as you (except that I am learning because I enjoy it), and with one other difference, I had no previous experience except for tin

I'm basically on the same boat as you (except that I am learning because I enjoy it), and with one other difference, I had no previous experience except for tinkering with things I didn't understand and didn't lead to any meaningful insights. To get a good feel on how to write simple scripts in python, you can take the class on coursera: Programming for Everybody (Python). If you don't care about the grade, there is a class currently going. The people in the forums for that class are fantastic. There is another class starting on october 5. https://www.coursera.org/course/pythonlearn https://www.coursera.org/course/pythonlearn A good follow up course which will get more in depth is Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python over at edx. This class is a bit more demanding than the previous one that I mentioned. https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-mitx-6-00-1x-0 https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-computer-science-mit... The first time around I dropped out, it was too much for me. So I took a few other classes, including Introduction to Algebra at edx to give my brain some exercise. https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-algebra-schoolyourself-algebrax https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-algebra-schoolyourse... If, you are interested in learning for the love of it, I would recommend Systematic Program Design (which is divided in three parts - the first part just finished last week but the materials will remain open for people to catch up) https://www.edx.org/course/systematic-program-design-part-1-core-ubcx-spd1x https://www.edx.org/course/systematic-program-design-part-1-... This class will teach a design process that can be applied to any programming language, using a simple programming language to help teach the design process. The book can be found at: http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/index.html http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/index.html There are a few other classes over at udacity that I'm planning on taking but can't recommend them yet as I haven't seen them. Lastly, a few months ago a friend asked me about programming, so I wrote a quick and dirty blog post that has a little bit more information. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner as well - so take it with a grain of salt. http://teichopsia.svbtle.com/how-to-get-started-in-programming http://teichopsia.svbtle.com/how-to-get-started-in-programmi... Note: There is a paragraph about a class called Intro to computer Science over at udacity. The class mentioned in this post at edx is a better class.