Automating Real-World Tasks with Python Course Syllabus

Overview: This hands-on, integrative course is designed as a capstone experience for learners aiming to master Python automation in real-world IT environments. Over approximately 13 hours, students will progress through foundational tools and concepts, building up to a comprehensive automation project. Each module combines theory with practical labs using Qwiklabs, ensuring direct experience with key libraries and workflows. Topics include image processing, web services, API interaction, PDF generation, email automation, logging, and DevOps fundamentals. The course concludes with an end-to-end project that ties together all components into a realistic automation pipeline.

Module 1: Setup & Image Manipulation

Estimated time: 1 hour

• PIL library for image processing
• Container basics using VS Code and Docker
• Image scaling with PIL
• Image format conversion using PIL

Module 2: Web Services & APIs

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Web services fundamentals
• RESTful API concepts
• Flask framework for building web applications
• HTTP methods and API construction

Module 3: Output Generation & Communication

Estimated time: 4 hours

• Logging in Python scripts
• Exception handling for robust automation
• Sending emails with attachments via SMTP
• PDF generation including tables and graphics
• DevOps monitoring basics: SLIs and SLOs

Module 4: Integrative Project & Career Readiness

Estimated time: 5 hours

• End-to-end automation workflow integration
• Automating catalog updates with logging and error handling
• Generating and emailing PDF reports
• Health-check scripting for system monitoring

Prerequisites

• Completion of prior courses in the series
• Familiarity with basic Python syntax and scripting
• Understanding of command-line and file system operations

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Use PIL to automate image manipulation tasks
• Build and interact with RESTful APIs using Flask
• Generate PDFs and send automated emails with attachments
• Implement logging and exception handling in production-style scripts
• Combine multiple automation tools into cohesive, real-world workflows