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Python’s popularity is constantly on the rise, primarily due to its use in emerging technologies such as data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. It has also taken the software development by storm for its efficiency, versatility, and ease of learning.
Python is currently the second most popular programming language (after JavaScript) on GitHub. Whether you want to learn Python, are a complete beginner, or already have some experience with coding and want to upgrade to improve your career prospects, this article is for you.
What is Python?
Python is an open source, high-level programming language designed by Guido van Rossum. Released in 1991, the design philosophy of this programming language points to code readability, making it one of the easiest languages to learn.
Furthermore, Python is an object-oriented, reflective, functional, procedural, and structural language. All of these Python approaches help programmers write clear, logical code for projects of all scales.
Currently, there are three main versions of Python, with Python 3 being the latest. It also supports a wide range of libraries to simplify writing code.
Characteristic
Python features are:
- Free and open source: Python is open source, and you can download its code for free to use and modify it for your projects.
- Easy to learn: Python is becoming popular because it is easy to learn compared to other languages. Its simpler syntax uses plain English with less complexity. So it is developer friendly and easy to code.
- Extensive libraries: The Python standard library is extensive with rich modules and functions that help you complete your projects faster instead of writing code from scratch. You can find reusable code for processes like image manipulation, unit tests, CGI, and more. Some examples are Django, Flask, NumPy, and SciPy.
- Extensible: Python is highly extensible with different modules to extend the functionality of the core. For example, you can add a programmable interface to an existing application.
- Object-oriented: Python uses object-oriented programming concepts such as objects, classes, inheritance, data encapsulation, etc.
- Interpreted and easy to debug: Python executes code linearly, just like Java, C, and C++. This way, you don’t need to compile, and debugging is easy.
- Dynamic type: Specifying a variable type such as char, int, double, etc., is not necessary in Python, since it is decided during code execution time and not at the beginning. As a result, it makes programming easier and reduces many lines of code.
- Portable: Python uses portable code. Therefore, you can use the same code on different platforms such as Windows, macOS, Unix or Linux.
Where is Python used?
Python is a versatile programming language. You can use Python for a variety of purposes, including:
- Web development: Due to its efficiency, speed, and other positive aspects, Python is excellent for web development. With the availability of extensive libraries like Django and Flask, the process becomes much more manageable. Some popular companies that use it for this purpose are Instagram, Reddit, Uber, and Spotify.
- Software development: Using Python, you can create software programs and applications that run on your devices. Many Python packages, such as NumPy, Tkinter, SciPy, etc., simplify software development procedures. You can also develop complex applications with scientific and numerical calculation. Some of the big ones that use it for software development are Dropbox, PyChess, BitTorrent, Gramps, etc.
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence: From search engines and social networks to chatbots and virtual assistants, algorithms are everywhere and are powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Python-only libraries such as SciPy, Seaborn, TensorFlow, NumPy, Pandas, etc. serve these purposes.
- Data Science: Python is widely used in Data Science. It has a bunch of related libraries and frameworks like PyBrain, Bottle, Flask, web3py, etc., useful in data science for visualizing and analyzing big data and other purposes. It also helps in web crawling, which has become essential for businesses nowadays.
- Creating desktop GUIs: Due to the modular structure of Python, it works on various operating systems and allows you to build desktop GUIs using a powerful framework, module, or word processor such as PyGUI, PyGtk, PyQt4, PyQt5, etc. .
- Game development: You can develop games using Python libraries like PySoy (a 3D game engine based on Python). Games developed with Python are Disney’s Toontown Online, Battlefield 2, Frets on Fire, etc.
4 benefits of learning Python
Learning Python has several advantages for your career prospects. Let’s find out the answer to the question: “Why learn Python?
Efficient in development
Python is not only easy to learn and code, but it also speeds up the entire development process. It has a wide range of frameworks, packages, libraries, and modules that don’t require you to do everything from scratch.
You can also use reusable code to write code faster with stability. It helps you automate standard processes and save time to focus on logic and other vital aspects of web and software development.
Extremely versatile
Python is a very versatile language, which is one of the reasons for its popularity and high usability. From small to large scale projects, Python works just as efficiently. Aside from the uses mentioned above, developers use it for deep learning, data engineering, process automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and much more.
That said, its versatility could be down to the sheer number of functions, methods, frameworks, and libraries it supports. Additionally, Python’s readability, popularity, and ease of use have encouraged the creation of many more libraries, making the language easier to use.
Demand for Python developers
The demand for Python developers is increasing in the market with its popularity and use in emerging technologies. It is used in business services, insurance, aerospace, retail, banking, finance, information technology, consulting, healthcare, and hardware, to name just a few.
The main companies that use Python are Google, NASA, YouTube, Quora, IBM, HP, Qualcomm and Dropbox. And they also hire Python developers frequently.
In 2021, the median salary for Python developers in the United States is $110,840 per year. Therefore, learning Python can be rewarding for your career.
Caring community
Although there is official Python documentation available, sometimes you can get stuck, especially if you are a beginner. At that time, a supportive community is something that can help you. Fortunately, Python has a large community of developers that you can turn to in case of doubts or questions.
You can find online forums like Stack Overflow, open-source communities, and local meetups to explore the language. Additionally, there are plenty of courses, tutorials, websites, and other resources dedicated to Python (some of which we’ll discuss in this article).
How to learn Python step by step
Even if you have the best Python tutorial in your hands, you may not get the most out of it if you don’t know the best way to learn Python. That is why we are going to talk about the process of learning Python step by step.
Step 1: Think about why you want to learn Python
Before you start something, you have to figure out why you want to do it in the first place. The same applies to learning Python. There must be some goal that keeps you motivated throughout this journey; otherwise it can be painful to go all the way.
Find out why Python interests you, whether you want to train or build a career as a Python developer. It can be about data science, ML, AI, building websites , apps and games, scripts for work automation, data analysis, web scraping, or anything else.
Once you have set your goal, continue to the next step.
Step 2: Understand the basics
Understand the basics of Python clearly and without hesitation. Learn the syntax, fundamental aspects of the programming language such as variables, data types, functions, etc. The Python resources mentioned in this article will help you with this step.
However, it can be tedious if only the theory is reviewed. The key here is to practice and take breaks in between.
Write simple code on your own or through the examples given in the Python tutorial of your choice. Once you have completed the basics, you can move on to the advanced topics.
Step 3: Apply the knowledge in the projects
After the basic knowledge, try to carry out a project to put your knowledge into practice. Projects will unleash your potential and help you learn more while building a portfolio to showcase to potential employers.
You can create structured projects on data science, ML, websites, mobile apps, games, automation scripts, etc. You’ll find plenty of resources for structured projects like Dataquest, the Scikit-learn documentation, the Bottle tutorial, Codecademy, Learning Robotics using Python, and Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, to name a few.
After completing the advanced topics, work on projects you create on your own. Use whatever resources are available, but work on what you want to do with Python.
By now, you should have learned how to find bugs and debug them. You can build on previous projects, find open source platforms to contribute to, volunteer at nonprofits, contribute on GitHub , and more.
Step 4: Collaborate with others
Collaborating with other students and experts will help you expand your knowledge, discuss things, and learn tips and tricks to apply to your projects. You can meet them at various Python communities, forums, meetups, and events. Some examples are Stack Overflow, Python.org, Reddit, and Sololearn.
Step 5: Keep practicing
Learning is a continuous process. Therefore, after you have completed all the steps, always keep practicing what you have learned. Get in the game as a full-time Python developer or a part-time hobbyist to build Python projects across various industry verticals.
You just have to keep practicing!
Next, we will finally reveal the best Python tutorials of 2022.
