Suggestion for beginner
Hi everyone!
I’ve recently started my BS in Bioinformatics and I’m trying to figure out how I should actually start learning the subject properly.
I have a basic understanding of biology, but I have essentially zero coding/programming knowledge. I also don’t want to just study enough to pass my university exams — I genuinely want to understand bioinformatics and build useful skills over the next few years.
I’m a little overwhelmed by all the resources available, so I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experience in the field.
Specifically:
- Which books would you recommend for a complete beginner?
- Which websites/courses are actually worth following?
- Are there any good YouTube channels or playlists for learning bioinformatics?
- How should I start learning Python/programming from absolute zero?
- What programming languages/tools should I eventually learn for bioinformatics?
- How should I balance biology/theoretical concepts with coding and computational skills?
- Are there any beginner-friendly projects I could do while learning?
- Is there a particular order/path you would recommend (e.g. biology → Python → statistics → bioinformatics tools, etc.)?
Basically, if you could go back to the very beginning, what would you learn and in what order?
Any advice, resources, roadmaps, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
And for the record I attended 2-3 lectures in my college of bioinformatics but I couldn't grasp what my teacher was trying to teach.