In the last few years Python is getting more and more important in the scientific / engineering industry. Unlike MatLab, it is a free and open-source programming language. There are a lot of community-made packages available with very useful functionality. Compared to other languages, learning Python is easy. Files used in a previous Python Workshop, which includes a tutorial, can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

Python Tutorial

Installation files

If you want to obtain more in-depth knowledge in programming in Python you could also download the Think Python 2nd edition for free. It is well structured and it contains some exercises to test your Python skills.