More than a year ago, the Corona pandemic not only turned the entire world of work upside down seemingly overnight, but it also took it to the next level of digital development. The New Work is here, setting new standards for workers and their skills. This is also evident in 2023. The digital transformation is picking up speed and posing new challenges for employers and employees alike.
To keep up with this development, it’s worthwhile even for high performers to jump on the bandwagon and expand their own portfolio with important key competencies such as Python programming. Yes, the old adage is true: We never stop learning. But in this day and age, with more learning options and offerings hitting the market every day, it’s especially important to invest your own scarce time in the right skills.
As a result of the rapid, digital transformation, new, important skills have emerged that will pay off for those willing to learn in the long run. Technical skills in particular are urgently needed by companies to defend their own market share alongside big tech giants like Google, Amazon and Co. Among all possible qualifications, one particular skill has gone from promising to indispensable in recent years: the Python programming language.
Stop! Before you switch off, thinking that Python as a programming language is only worthwhile for IT people and tech nerds, this article will convince you otherwise. Because quite the opposite is true! Many companies are just beginning to tap into the true power of Big Data and artificial intelligence, and executives are actively seeking employees who are capable of supporting this transformation through technical skills.
Python, in particular, has outgrown its underdog image in the past five years to become a champion among tech skills. If you’re looking to grow this year and are on the lookout for a skill that will advance your career and secure it for the long term, this is the ideal time to upskill with Python.
We’ve summarized for you seven reasons why Python should be your continuing education focus in 2023 to show you why Python skills are not only useful, but really fun to learn.
Not just for snake charmers: Why it’s worth learning Python in 2023
If the word Python makes you think of shiny scales rather than programming code, let us give you some context. Python is a programming language used for developing software. As a server-side language, it is the logic and foundation behind user input and database interaction with the server.
Python is open-source, free, and can be used and modified by anyone, which is why its use is especially popular in data science. Last but not least, Python thrives on its community, a dedicated community around artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis and modeling, with extensive resources and over 137,000 libraries such as TensorFlow, Scikit-learn and Keras.
As a data analyst, you’ll use programming languages like Python to analyze large amounts of complex data and derive relevant information from it. So is it worth learning Python? Absolutely. According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Python was ranked as the third most popular technology of the year in 2020. It’s considered one of the hottest skills and the most popular programming language in the world according to the PYPL Popularity of Programming Language Index. We’ve summarized 7 reasons why 2023 is the year you should learn Python too.
1. As versatile as it gets
Python is a true all-rounder among hard skills! A key advantage of Python is that it can be used in a wide variety of subject areas. The most common areas where Python is used include:
– Data analytics & data science
– Mathematics
– Web development
– Finance and commerce
– Automation and artificial intelligence
– Game development
2. It pays off in more than one way
Python is the right choice for those who want a new skill to pay off twice. Python developers have been among the highest paid in the industry for years. And Data scientists, who need Python in their jobs, are also way ahead in the global salary race. Demand for Python developers is high – and it’s growing. And the skill is becoming increasingly valuable to other departments as well. If you know Python, you won’t have to look far for a good job. Among the top 10 most sought-after programming skills employers are looking for, Python ranks 7th, so job market prospects are excellent.
3. Quick wins even for newbies
2016 was the scintillating year when Python replaced Java as the most popular language at U.S. universities, and since then, the programming language has been especially popular among beginners. Over the past few years, Python has continued to expand its pole position. And with good reason: Python is easy to learn and enables its users to create their own web applications or automate simple workflows.
In addition, Python comes with a tidy and easy-to-read syntax, which makes it particularly beginner-friendly. When you start programming, you don’t want to start with a complicated language with all kinds of weird exceptions. Python makes it easy for you, and it’s still effective. A double win for you.
4. Ideal for time-savers
With Python programming, you will not only learn quickly, but your work will be more effective and faster. Unlike other programming languages, Python development requires less code and therefore less time. For all fans of efficiency, Python is made for you. And it offers another big time bonus. You can automate unpleasant, repetitive tasks using Python. Anyone who has spent hours renaming files or updating hundreds of table rows knows how tedious such tasks can be. All the better that your computer can take care of these tasks from now on.
5. Beyond the IT horizon
Whether in marketing, sales or business development, Python has long since ventured out of its IT-only corner and into other areas of the business. Because these departments also face a number of challenges that Python can help with: Reporting, content optimization, A/B testing, customer segmentation, automated campaigns, feedback analysis, and more. With Python, you can gain insights from available data, make better-informed, data-driven decisions, automate many routine activities, and increase the ROI of your campaigns. Interested?
6. Programming for big players
Have you always wanted to work for a tech giant like Google or Facebook? Then Python could be your golden ticket, because many big and especially tech-savvy companies like YouTube, IBM, Dropbox or Instagram use Python for a variety of purposes and are always looking for up-and-coming talent. Dropbox uses Python for almost their entire code foundation, including analytics, server and API backends, and the desktop client. If you want to add a big name to your resume, Python should be on the same sheet.
7. A must-have for data professionals.
Python’s application in data science and data engineering, in particular, is driving its popularity to unprecedented heights. But what makes Python so important for data science and machine learning? For a long time, R was considered the best language in this field, but Python offers numerous advantages. Libraries and frameworks like PyBrain, NumPy, and PyMySQL for AI are a major selling point. In addition, you can create scripts to automate simple processes. This makes the day-to-day work of data professionals especially efficient.
What has Python has to do with weightlessness and potatoes? – A StackFuel alumna writes about her funny experiences with the programming language
For those who don’t immediately think of creativity and humor when they think of the job of a data analyst, we would like to introduce our graduate Madalena Wagenaar. Madalena is from Berlin and originally comes from the field of geotechnology. In 2021, she decided to take a new career leap and started her advanced training as a data analyst at StackFuel. The content, most especially Python, didn’t just excite Madalena on a professional level, but also prompted her to write the following entertaining guest post.
Python – is the name of the programming language based on the snake species? No.
When Guido van Rossum sat developing this project as a pastime during the Christmas holidays in 1989, he wanted to give the new programming language a simple and catchy name. Since he was watching the British comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus at the same time, he settled on the name. However, the programming language, whose name is based on the comedic artist group of the 20th century, is not only known for its humor.
The origin of its name is now known to almost everyone who has ever dealt with Python. But there are some little amusing facts, which are less known. I would like to present you five of such fun facts here:
- Tim Peters, who himself contributed a lot to the development of Python, wrote a poem about the philosophy of Python. If you execute the command “import this”, you can read the poem “Zen of Python” yourself, which at the same time summarizes the guiding principles of the programming language. If you read the poem, you will not only smile, but if you stick to the principles, you will also become a better programmer.
- Small anecdotes are sometimes inserted in places where you least expect them, e.g. in error messages. Python does not use what are known as braces to delimit code. Indentation is mandatory in Python. If you try to import braces from the __future__ package, you will get an error message that will surely make you smile. The program will tell you “No chance”, as it knows how to defend itself against this change.
- I always thought I would never be able to program. It’s much too complex for me. However, after I started (almost forced) and made my first progress and experienced some successes, I felt as elated as “import antigravity” describes. Maybe you will feel the same way when the comic opens in front of you.
- To go a bit deeper into the topic: Unlike other programming languages, Python allows you to include an else option after an if condition when writing a loop. How convenient is that? Because this option allows you to not have to think through and determine every eventuality yourself. So whenever the if-condition isn’t met, the program executes the else-option. This will make a lot of things easier for you.
- And finally: Everybody knows small, funny internet games. Usually they are written in the programming language C or C++. But do you know one that is completely written in Python? Check out Super Potato Bruh and help the potato to save itself and its vegetable friends from a fate of being soup ingredients. If programming itself isn’t fun enough for you, you’ll get your money’s worth with this game.
Even before I discovered the many hidden easter eggs in Python, I was interested in the programming language, especially in terms of its data processing capabilities. With my background in geotechnology, I could use the programming language to process satellite or drone data for land use, for example, as well as for other fields. Thanks to Python and my newly learned programming skills, I not only had a lot to laugh about, I can now handle large amounts of data with ease.
Congratulations to Madalena on completing our advanced course Data Analyst – Focus on Python. Were we able to inspire you? Then check out our Python course and our Data Analyst and Data Scientist training courses. No matter if you’re new to programming or a data nerd. Find your new skills in our course portfolio. Exciting online courses for full-time professionals and fast-trackers in Python, data and artificial intelligence are waiting for you here.
Sources:
Stack Overflow: „2020 Developer Survey“ [11.06.2021]
Github: “PYPL PopularitY of Programming Language“ [11.06.2021]
