Python is one of the most popular programming languages. But is it really good? Will it pay off to learn Python? Let’s explore why software developers and data analysts choose Python and why you should start learning Python right now.
According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022, Python is one of the top four popular technologies among developers (alongside JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and SQL). After reading this article, you’ll know the key factors behind this popularity. And most likely you’ll be eager to join the Python coder club!
If you already know you want to learn Python, I’d recommend completing our Learn Programming with Python track. It’s a comprehensive and interactive learning track that covers Python basics and also explores Python data structures and built-in algorithms in depth.
Now let’s see what Python is and what it is used for.
A Brief Introduction to Python
Python is a general-purpose programming language. This means it can be used in a variety of different applications, including task automation and the development of software, web applications, and games.
Python was created by Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum and was first released in 1991. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Python was best known as a scripting language. With the emergence of data science and machine learning, Python was also recognized as a great tool for data analysis and data visualization. It became the most popular language for data science and machine learning because it was already widely used in organizations, and its simple syntax allowed it to be easily mastered by business analysts, data analysts, and others without any programming experience.
Nowadays, Python continues to be applied for task automation and the development of web applications and software. But its ongoing surge in popularity owes much to Python’s key role in data science.
So, whether you are going to become a web developer, software developer, or data scientist, Python skills will likely boost your chances to be hired.
Python and Your Career
If you are looking for a programming career, Python would definitely be an important skill to have. However, there are many other career opportunities where you can put Python to use.
First of all, there are many data-related roles that rely heavily on Python in their job activities. These include data analysts, data scientists, business analysts, machine learning engineers, AI developers, etc.
Next, if you are a scientist, you can use Python for testing hypotheses, visualizing data, conducting experiments, etc. Combining your theoretical knowledge with the power of the Python programming language will allow you to put your knowledge to real-world use.
And almost anyone can use Python to automate repetitive tasks at their workplace. Even if your job is not related to programming or data processing, you can boost your productivity with Python by using it for organizing files on your computer, sorting through emails, editing images, etc.
Python skills also pay off beyond great career prospects. For example, the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022 revealed that Python programmers are usually paid $74,127 per year. If you’re based in the US, you can make even more. According to Glassdoor data, Python developers often earn $100K+ in the States.
Why You Should Learn Python?
Python skills are not just very beneficial for your career, but they are also relatively easy to acquire – even if you’ve had no prior exposure to IT. So, let’s briefly review the benefits of learning Python.
Beginner-Friendly
When Guido van Rossum was developing Python, his primary goal was to create a programming language that is as powerful as its competitors but with a much easier and more intuitive syntax. He succeeded with this goal. Today, Python is one of the most popular programming languages because of its beginner-friendly syntax, efficiency, and applicability to a wide range of use cases.
Python syntax is similar to English, which makes it relatively easy to read and understand even if you’ve never written a line of code before. Python also promotes good coding practices, which adds one more point to choosing Python as your first programming language.
Wide Applicability
While beginner-friendly, Python is also very versatile. You can use Python for a variety of tasks, including data analysis, data visualization, task automation or scripting, machine learning, artificial intelligence applications, web and software development, etc. Since it’s a general-purpose language, Python can be used throughout your entire work pipeline. For example, with Python, you can both build a machine learning model and deploy it in a production environment.
As we have already discussed, learning Python provides you with a wide range of potential career paths. If at any point in your career you decide to change your role for another software development or data processing job, knowing Python would give you a solid foundation in a new area.
Plus, Python is often the main programming language across organizations of different sizes and industries. For example, it is widely used in top tech companies like Google, Netflix, IBM, Meta, NASA, Pinterest, Pixar, and Spotify.
Rich Ecosystem of Libraries and Frameworks
When coding in Python, you don’t need to start from scratch. Experienced programmers have written and open-sourced lots of code that solves specific tasks. This pre-written code is stored in Python modules, packages, libraries, and frameworks.
With Python’s very rich ecosystem of libraries and packages, you can approach complex programming problems even if you have minimal coding experience. For example, there are useful Python libraries for game development, data analysis and visualization, processing textual data, processing dates and time, creating bots, and much more.
Check out this list of useful Python libraries for fun hobby projects for more ideas.
Great Online Community
Python has a large, active, and supportive community. When you are only starting your coding journey, you’ll often find yourself on forums like Stack Overflow. This is a place where you can find a solution to almost any problem you encounter while writing your first programs.
Even experienced programmers benefit from such forums when working with new problems or applying Python to applications they are less familiar with. It’s very beneficial to have a community where they can share their experience and help others solve problems efficiently.
When you become a Python pro, you can repay the community by helping others who are only starting with Python. It feels very good when you can help a newbie by sharing your experience!
You can read about other benefits of learning Python in this article, and now let’s see how you can learn Python effectively in just a few months.
Let’s Start Learning Python!
There are lots of resources available online to master Python and other programming languages: books, articles, YouTube tutorials, and online courses. Not all of these resources are equally effective.
When choosing between several learning resources, remember that mastering a new programming language requires lots of practice. So I recommend starting with interactive courses, where an explanation of basic concepts is combined with coding challenges.
LearnPython.com provides some of the most effective and engaging interactive courses for learning Python:
- Python Basics Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 covers all the core concepts you’ll need to know before coding your first Python applications. Among other things, you’ll learn how to write if statements, loops, and reusable code, how to operate on files, and how to work with different data structures such as lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets.
- Introduction to Python for Data Science is the best choice for those who want to start a career in data analysis and data science. With 141 interactive exercises, this course explains how to work with table data in Python as well as how to do data preprocessing, analysis, grouping, and visualization.
If you want to go beyond basics and get comprehensive Python knowledge, consider taking one of the following learning tracks:
- Learn Programming with Python includes the three Python Basics courses and two more advanced Python courses on data structures and built-in algorithms. This interactive track with over 400 coding challenges is designed for complete beginners who want to learn how to write computer programs.
- Python for Data Science is designed for aspiring data analysts and data scientists. With five interactive courses and over 300 coding challenges, you’ll learn the basics of data analysis with Python. You’ll also discover how to work with strings in Python and how to process JSON, CSV, and Excel files in Python.
Bonus: Here are the top 5 resources to start learning Python and the list of free Python courses for beginners.
Thanks for reading, and happy learning!
