Case Study: Building Software in Python

This course offers a hands-on introduction to software engineering by guiding you through the development of a practical application: a mortgage calculator. You’ll learn how to calculate monthly payments based on key inputs like loan amount, interest rate, and loan term. Along the way, you’ll apply essential software engineering principles to create code that is efficient, modular, and maintainable.

What You’ll Build

Using Python, you’ll design and implement a mortgage calculator that evolves from a basic tool into a robust solution. Starting with simple modules, you’ll expand the functionality using inheritance to create advanced calculators, including one that handles financial computations. This hands-on project will help you understand real-world software development techniques and how to structure scalable code.

Techniques You’ll Use

Throughout the course, you’ll follow best practices like the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) principle and modularity to organize your code effectively. You’ll adhere to PEP 8 standards, use tools like Pylint to maintain code quality and write automated tests with pytest to ensure your application’s reliability. By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills to design, implement, and test real-world software solutions with confidence.