5 Python Challenges to Develop Your Skills

With its versatility and easy-to-use nature, it is no surprise that Python ranks as one of the most-used programming languages. Python caters to many different people from varying backgrounds, including data scientists, web developers, and software developers. 

So if flexibility and versatility sound like you, then look no further because Python is your perfect match! Explore all the different Python packages, such as Plotly and Dash, to further your programming skills with our five Python challenges. You can also check out our R challenges and SQL challenges.

Why take a Python challenge?

Coding challenges are a great way to put your Python knowledge into practice. With projects curated for different skill levels, you get to progressively practice your skills with various datasets, including:

• Bitcoin Price Data
• The popularity of Disney movies
• Stock Market News Sentiment
• Game of Thrones Characters

With these datasets, you can perform various tasks, including developing a dashboard, data analysis and visualization, machine learning, natural language processing, and network analysis. This array of skills can help you solidify your Python knowledge and get valuable practice using different principles. 

Besides practicing your Python programming skills, you can also create these projects in DataLab, DataCamp's data notebook. Using DataLab is a great way to build your coding portfolio, which you can showcase in your resume.

5 Python Challenges to Develop Your Skills

Many of you will take the leap and get started with our various Python tracks, courses, projects, and more.  In this section, you’ll find 5 Python projects you can finish in 1 week or less. Pick a project and get started today! 

1. Develop a Dashboard Using Plotly and Dash 

Data visualization and dashboards are often called the “Gateway drug” into data science. Python’s Plotly and Dash packages are excellent starting points for developing dashboards in Python at no cost to you or your team. 

In the Building Dashboards with Dash and Plotly course, you will learn how to structure and style dashboards, build a portfolio of dashboards, build simple web applications that you can share with others, and more.

 Prerequisite Courses

• Intermediate Python
• Introduction to Data Visualization with Plotly in Python
• Data Manipulation with pandas

2. Analyze Bitcoin Price Data 

Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are either the undeniable future of money and a fantastic get-rich-quick scheme, or fools gold that has led to massive losses in life savings. Gain a better understanding of the Bitcoin prices by doing some exploratory data analysis in Python. 

The Exploring the Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Market project lets you explore and visualize the market capitalization and volatility of a variety of cryptocurrencies.

 Prerequisite Courses

• Data Manipulation with pandas
• Cleaning Data in Python

3. Predict the popularity of Disney movies 

Disney movies have been a staple of popular culture for almost a century. But what is behind their success? Machine learning can give insights into what makes a movie—or any other product—popular.

In the Disney Movies and Box Office Success project, you'll explore and visualize factors that predict the popularity of Disney movies, then run a linear regression model to make predictions on the potential success of future movies.

 Prerequisite Courses

• Introduction to Linear Modeling in Python
• Introduction to Data Visualization with Seaborn

4. Extract Stock Market News Sentiment Analysis

Stocks are only as valuable as people believe they are. Fortunately, journalists spend a lot of time talking about how much they believe stocks are worth in news articles! The text of their articles contains important information signaling how bullish or bearish the authors are, helping you predict whether a stock will increase or decrease in price.

In the Extract Stock Sentiment from News Headlines project, you'll use a type of text analysis called sentiment analysis to determine how bullish (positive) or bearish (negative) pundits are on stock prices.

 Prerequisite Courses

• Intermediate Python
• Introduction to Natural Language Processing in Python
• Data Manipulation with pandas

5. Network Analysis of Game of Thrones Characters

While slightly dated, George R.R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire (better known as the TV Show Game of Thrones) is widely adored for its complex narrative, intertwined character arcs, and scale of its universe. So with that, who is the most important character of them all? 

Data science can answer this—In the advanced project A Network Analysis of Game Of Thrones, you will use popular social media data mining techniques such as Network Analysis, to understand the relationships between the different characters of Game Of Thrones, and automatically determine who is the most influential character of them all. 

 Prerequisite Courses

• Intermediate Python
• Introduction to Network Analysis in Python
• Data Manipulation with pandas