Things I Wish I Knew Before Learning Python for Machine Learning

Jahidul Hasan Hemal
3 min readAug 16, 2024
Photo by Goran Ivos on Unsplash

Machine learning is one of the most exciting fields in technology today, and Python is the go-to language for building machine learning models. However, diving into this world can be overwhelming. As someone who’s been through the journey, here are some key things I wish I knew before I started learning Python for machine learning.

1. Start with the Basics, But Don’t Get Stuck There

When I first started, I spent a lot of time trying to master every aspect of Python before moving on to machine learning concepts. While it’s important to have a solid understanding of Python basics (like loops, conditionals, and functions), you don’t need to be an expert. Focus on getting comfortable with the language, then move on to the exciting part — applying it to machine learning!

2. Data Handling is Just as Important as Algorithms

I initially thought machine learning was all about algorithms. However, I quickly realized that a large portion of the work involves handling and preparing data. Learning how to clean, manipulate, and visualize data using libraries like Pandas and Matplotlib is crucial. The quality of your data often determines the success of your model.

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Jahidul Hasan Hemal

A goddamn marvel of modern science. An open-source enthusiast and an optimist who loves to read and watch movies and is trying to learn how to write.