Preparing for PCEP™ — Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer PART 1
Hello everyone , I have decided to start pursuing some certificates that might be helpful in my career. I will be starting out my journey with PCEP , so this will be the first post of a series that will be documenting my journey. As always I am hope you enjoy reading and I am open to critisism.
So first of all why Python? Well lets start by saying that it’s the most popular programming language out there. Many statistics to prove this: here is an example. And it’s the most popular one for a reason — there is nothing you can’t do with it. It can be used for E V E R Y T H I N G. There are also frameworks, alredy developed , for all kinds of things. That makes programming a piece of cake (most of the time). From Desktop applications , computer visions , AI , Automation to Malware analysis and so on. You will not regret learning it. In fact it is fairly easy to learn it related to other languages. That is why most universities choose to include it in their syllabus as an introduction to Computer Science. And last but not least, there are many job opportunities out there if you master this language and its frameworks.
So by now , I hope that you are convinced enough to continue reading.
What do you need?
Obviously you will need Python installed on your machine. You can do that from their official website — here.
Follow the installation prompt after that, it is a trivial process.
After that you will need an IDE. I recommend Visual Studio Code. You are free to choose whatever you want, even notepad.
You can also choose to work with Anaconda. I will not dive deep into this , you can read this post right here.
Also there are online development environments like Jupyter and Replit.
Okay that’s it for preparing your machine. So now lets go over the certification’s syllabus.
There is a total of 4 sections each dedicated to something:
- Computer programming and Python Fundamentals — This section covers basic programming concepts and Python fundamentals, ensuring a solid foundation for beginners. It includes Python syntax, variables, operators, data types, and input/output operations.
- Control Flow — Conditional Blocks and Loops — This section focuses on decision-making and looping in Python, which are essential for writing programs that can react to different conditions and process data iteratively.
- Data Collection — Tuples, Dictonaries, Lists and Strings — This section covers Python’s built-in data structures used for storing and manipulating collections of data. It includes lists, tuples, dictionaries, and strings, along with methods and operations for handling them efficiently.
- Functions and Exceptions — This section focuses on how to write reusable code using functions, manage function parameters and scope, and handle errors using exceptions. Understanding these concepts is essential for writing organized, efficient, and error-resilient Python programs.
The first one holds 18% weight , the second one 29%. 3 and 4 are respectfully 25% and 28%. You are free to decide what are your strengths and weaknesses and see what you will be focusing on.
So thank you for reading. I would love if you share some feedback and follow me on my journey.
If you’re looking to stay up to date with my programming journey and access additional resources for Python and security-related topics, feel free to connect with me!
- Follow me on GitHub for more projects and code examples.
- Connect with me on LinkedIn to stay updated with my latest career insights and achievements.
Good luck with your PCEP preparation! 🚀
