# Python for Automation Course Online Canonical URL: ## Overview In this course, you'll discover how Python can be used to automate repetitive tasks and collect data from the web efficiently. Through self-paced training, you'll learn how to gather up-to-date information from websites, which can be especially useful across areas like social media, e-commerce, real estate, travel, or public sector research. This course is ideal for programming beginners who want to dive into coding, especially those focused on using Python for web scraping and software development. It's also part of our [Data Science & AI Certificate Online (Self-Paced)](https://vdci.edu/certificates/data-science-ai-certificate-online). As the course progresses, you’ll work hands-on with Python to extract specific data from web pages, write loops to process large sets of information, and build scripts that run automatically on a schedule. You’ll also learn how to troubleshoot common coding issues, store scraped data in different formats, and even use Python to update Excel files automatically. Designed with beginners in mind, the course provides a clear entry point into programming while building real skills in automation and web scraping. ## What you'll learn - Understand how websites are structured using HTML and CSS to locate and extract specific data - Build a foundation in Python fundamentals, including variables, data types, conditionals, loops, and working with lists - Use the Requests and Beautiful Soup libraries to scrape web content and target relevant information - Write loops to automate data collection across multiple web pages and reduce repetitive manual work - Save scraped data in common formats such as text files and CSVs for analysis and reporting - Schedule Python scripts to run automatically, supporting ongoing data collection and automated workflows ## Curriculum ### Section 1 #### Introduction to HTML/CSS (Online) - How a website is served - Anatomy of a web page - HTML tags - IDs - CSS classes #### Python Part 1 - Integers + Floats - Variables - Strings - Methods + Functions ### Section 2 #### Webscraping Exercise Part 1 - Introduction to using packages - Requests packages - Performing a GET request - String manipulation - Debugging a Python script #### Python Part 2 - Booleans - Conditional Statements - Lists - Indexing into strings + lists - Looping over lists ### Section 3 #### Webscraping Exercises Part 2 - Beautiful Soup package - Honing in on data - Common webscraping pitfalls - Using loops in webscraping #### Storage and Scheduling - Text files - CSVs - Scheduling a Python Script ## Instructors ### Garfield Stinvil — Instructor Garfield is an experienced software trainer with over 16 years of real-world professional experience. He started as a data analyst with a Wall Street real estate investment company & continued working in the professional development department at New York Road Runners Organization. He enjoys bringing humor to whatever he teaches and loves conveying ideas in novel ways that help others learn more efficiently. Since starting his professional training career in 2016, he has worked with several corporate clients including Adobe, HBO, Amazon, Yelp, Mitsubishi, WeWork, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, and Hermès. Outside of work, his hobbies include rescuing & archiving at-risk artistic online media using his database management skills. ### Colin Jaffe — Instructor Colin Jaffe is a programmer, writer, and teacher with a passion for creative code, customizable computing environments, and simple puns. He loves teaching code, from the fundamentals of algorithmic thinking to the business logic and user flow of application building—he particularly enjoys teaching JavaScript, Python, API design, and front-end frameworks. Colin has taught code to a diverse group of students since learning to code himself, including young men of color at All-Star Code, elementary school kids at The Coding Space, and marginalized groups at Pursuit. Colin lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two kids, and many intricate board games. ### Brian McClain — Instructor Brian McClain is an experienced instructor, curriculum developer, and web developer. Brian served as Director for a coding bootcamp, where he is now a lead instructor and course developer for both JavaScript and Python. He teaches Web Development, JavaScript, Python for Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI. He taught Python Data Science and Machine Learning as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Westchester Community College. Brian is also an active industry professional in the field of generative AI app development. His website and iOS app, Artmink, provide appraisals of art and antiques from user-uploaded images. ## FAQ ### Who is the target audience for this course? Employees performing repetitive tasks in the browser Entrepreneurs managing small businesses who need streamlined operations Individuals eager to learn automation techniques for personal or professional purposes Those pursuing a career in automated software testing ### Are there any additional fees or expenses? There are no extra fees or taxes for our courses. The price you see on this page is the maximum you’ll pay us. ### Is this course open to beginners? Yes, this course is open to beginners. Students must be comfortable using a computer. No other prior knowledge is required. ### Do you offer payment plans or student financing for this course? This course does not qualify for payment plans or student financing. See our Payment Options FAQ to find related programs that qualify. ### How long do I have access to the course materials? This course is available for 30 days. You can choose when to start your access period. Once you activate, you will have 30 days to complete it (access the course materials, quizzes, projects and videos). You may request one extension of seven (7) days. Other extension requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Videos are not downloadable. ### What is the cancellation and refund policy for this single course? For this course, you are entitled to a 90% refund (your payment less the nonrefundable 10% registration fee) within 30 days of purchase if you have not accessed the course materials. ### What’s included with my tuition? A hands-on learning experience working on projects and exercises, which is proven to boost comprehension, retention, and engagement Expert instructors who are industry professionals and experienced educators that are driven to help you succeed Extensive video training resources to support your learning journey Access to industry-standard software during your training Expert support with answers to your questions from real instructors throughout your learning journey Top-notch curricula that have been tried and tested over many years and are consistently improved for an optimal learning experience A certificate of completion to verify your accomplishment The confidence of learning at an accredited institution ### Are there any additional fees or expenses? There are no extra fees or taxes for our courses. The price you see on this page is the maximum you’ll pay us. ### Do you offer any discounts for this course? Take this course as part of a certificate program and save: Data Analytics Certificate Online Price: $4,995 | Hours: 156 Hours Data Science & AI Certificate Online Price: $3,995 | Hours: 114 Hours Data Analytics & AI Certificate Online Price: $6,995 | Hours: 210 Hours ## Pricing **Tuition:** $425