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Square1 Ai
On demandRecorded by an instructor, graded by Nova

Python for AI

The Python you need before any of the engineering programmes.

Python for AI is a self-paced online course: 15 hours of recorded sessions across 7 modules, with 7 graded by Nova, Square 1's AI tutor. The founding price is A$45, down from A$90. Start any time and keep your own pace.

Taught with
PythonJupyterpandasChatGPT
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Module by module
  1. Module 1Setup and the basics120 min · graded
  2. Module 2Functions, data structures, files120 min · graded
  3. Module 3Packages, environments, testing120 min · graded
  4. Module 4APIs and JSON120 min · graded
  5. Module 5Pandas and notebooks120 min · graded
  6. Module 6Async and the web120 min · graded
  7. Module 7Project: a working tool180 min · graded
recorded hours
15
modules, in order
7
deployed projects
4
graded checkpoints
7

Who it is for, and what you receive.

Beginners with no programming who want enough Python to start any engineering programme here.

Before you start

None.

Skills
PythontestingAPIspandas
  1. 1

    The recorded sessions

    Taught by an instructor, taken in order at your own pace, yours for twelve months.

  2. 2

    Graded work after every module

    Exercises and projects marked by Nova against a rubric you can read, with what you did well and what to fix.

  3. 3

    The projects

    Deployed and graded, each one on your record with its repository.

  4. 4

    Your hiring plan

    The same six-part plan the bootcamps use, run with the career agent.

  5. 5

    The record and the certificate

    Every grade at square1ai.com/u/{handle}; a credential ID that resolves at square1ai.com/verify.

  6. 6

    Nova as your tutor

    Help that is about your actual work, because it has read all of it.

The content plan, module by module.

15 recorded hours from an instructor, taken in order at your own pace. Nova grades the work at the end of each module.

  1. Installing

    Variables, types, control flow

    Exercises graded line by line

The projects.

Each is deployed and graded by Nova against a rubric you can read before you start.

  1. Project 1

    A data-cleaning script

    You are given a messy CSV export from a fictional community sports club: inconsistent dates, blank fields, duplicate members and stray spaces. Write a Python script that cleans it into a tidy file, with functions you can test one at a time.

    You hand in
    • Cleaning script
    • Tests for messy cases
    • Cleaned output file
    The rubric requires

    The script handles every messy case in the test set.

  2. Project 2

    A tested package

    Turn your cleaning code into an installable package in its own virtual environment, with a clear structure and pytest tests. Someone else should be able to install it with pip and run the tests without asking you anything.

    You hand in
    • Package repository
    • pytest test suite
    • Install instructions
    The rubric requires

    The package installs in a clean environment and its tests pass.

  3. Project 3

    An API-calling tool

    Write a command-line tool that sends the club's survey comments to an LLM API and gets back JSON tags for each one. Real APIs time out, rate-limit and return malformed JSON, so the tool must handle each without crashing.

    You hand in
    • Tool repository
    • Error-handling tests
    • Short usage write-up
    The rubric requires

    The tool handles timeouts, rate limits and malformed responses gracefully.

  4. Project 4

    A deployed web service

    Wrap your tool in a small async web service that accepts a comment and returns its tags, then deploy it. It should keep answering while an LLM call is slow, and fail with a clear message when the API is down.

    You hand in
    • Service repository
    • Deployed URL
    • Short README with examples
    The rubric requires

    The service responds correctly at its deployed URL.

What you can do at the end.

Enough Python to start any engineering programme here, and four graded projects on your record.

  1. 1

    Write Python with functions, data structures and files.

  2. 2

    Use packages, environments and tests.

  3. 3

    Call APIs and handle JSON, including an LLM API.

  4. 4

    Analyse data in pandas and notebooks.

  5. 5

    Build a small web service with async.

Roles this prepares you for
Junior developer (entry)Analyst who codes

No placement rate is shown, because there are no graduates to count yet. The roles above are what the projects are built for.

Your record at the end.

Every exercise and project is graded by Nova against a rubric you can read, and every grade is kept on one page an employer can open and run. This is what the programme writes to it.

Graded, line by line
Nova reads every submission against the brief and the rubric and returns a score, what you did well and what to fix.
Module by module
Each module ends in graded work; the next opens when you are ready, on your own schedule.
Nova remembers
Help is about your actual work, because the tutor has every submission and every failed exercise of yours.
One page an employer can run
Every grade and project at /verify. An employer opens it and runs the code.
Record, Python for AIExample
  1. Project

    A data-cleaning script

    The script handles every messy case in the test set.

    Graded
  2. Project

    A tested package

    The package installs in a clean environment and its tests pass.

    Graded
  3. Project

    An API-calling tool

    The tool handles timeouts, rate limits and malformed responses gracefully.

    Graded
  4. Project

    A deployed web service

    The service responds correctly at its deployed URL.

    Graded

The entries, not the grades: those are yours to earn. The page lives at /verify and an employer needs no account to open it.

6 entries, at your own pace. Reserving a spot holds the founding price.

Pre-order

How we help you find a job.

Proof, not a certificate: the projects you deployed are the thing you show, and the tools below are yours to use.

The course booklet

The whole plan on a few pages: the parts, the projects, the gates and the price. We email it to you.

Get the booklet
  1. 1

    Your hiring plan

    The same six-part plan the bootcamps use: target roles, the gap map, the proof to send, weekly actions, an interview log, the outcome. You run it with the career agent.

  2. 2

    A record an employer can run

    Your graded projects on /verify. An employer opens it and runs the code.

  3. 3

    The career agent

    Paste a real job posting at /career and it maps the role to your graded work and what to do next.

  4. 4

    The roles directory

    Every role we prepare people for, what it pays and what it asks, at /roles.

  5. 5

    A path to the live cohort

    If you want the instructor, the gates and the hiring sprint, the bootcamp on the same subject is one waitlist away.

Questions people ask.

About Python for AI, answered from the plan on this page.

Further reading
Related programmes

Founding spots are open. Hold yours.

Recorded by an instructor who does this work, graded by Nova. Spot holders hear the opening date first, and nothing is charged before you confirm.

  • Enough Python to start any engineering programme here
  • Four graded projects on your record
A$45A$90
Pre-order

About a minute. No account, no card, and nothing is charged until you confirm.

Pre-order · A$45Skill check