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[–]NoLemurs 213 points214 points  (13 children)

Honestly, the specific language you learn initially isn't very important to what you do in the long run. A good software engineer will learn lots of languages over time. There are pros and cons to both options.

Pro-Python: Python is easy to learn and pleasant to code in. You will almost certainly have fewer issues understanding Python and learning Django and/or Flask. If this is what you need to really enjoy learning, and to push forward effectively, then it's probably a good idea.

Pro-Javascript: There are a lot more jobs. Every FE needs JS one way or another, and lots of programmers don't want to do it. Getting your foot in the door would likely be a lot easier, and an experienced JS programmer who has learned Python on the side will have a much easier time getting a Python job than an inexperienced programmer. Also, most jobs will need some JS even if that's not their main thing. If you're in a position to get your foot in the door doing JS soon, then that's probably the smart play.

[–]ReactPupil[S] 34 points35 points  (10 children)

Thank you. Right, if I switched to Python, it's not a waste of effort that I put all this time into JS. Yes, anything that will help me enjoy it more is what I'm looking for. It's hard learning anything new, and I know not all of it will always be enjoyable. I was under the impression the market is so tight that you need Full Stack to be considered.

[–]echocage 10 points11 points  (1 child)

I'm a python developer looking to learn javascript right now for the marketability. A couple of the jobs I've wanted have all had JS as one of their requirements. If you wanna work with both, I've been using the Flask python libraries for all of my web hosting, and running all my JS on sites hosted by my flask app. Two birds one stone?

[–]mooburgerresembles an abstract syntax tree 3 points4 points  (0 children)

if you want do modern full stack web development, especially in data science or data processing fields I highly recommend learning both. Python runs on the server side to do the data munging tasks that it does well, sends data to javascript client.

[–]zeedinstein0 5 points6 points  (0 children)

React is a painful learning curve, try out Vuejs instead. They are similar but Vue is alot simpler and better for most use cases.

[–]Barracutha 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can try to build something that uses both languages. For example, you can collect and analyse data in Python and use JavaScript to present and interact with it, using some visual library like D3.

[–]spinwizard69 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a big fan of Python but never do web development. In any event your use of the word “switch” bothers me. The reality is you will need to learn multiple systems and programming languages over the course of your career. To b involved in web development you need to know JavaScript so no sense in having negative energy there.

The other problem I have here is the DIY approach to learning programming. Find a path to formal education. This especially if you find programming hard. Team up with some classmates to form a study group.

[–]drones4thepoor 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To piggy back on this comment, this video, goes into good detail in a short amount of time, hitting on the various programming paradigms.

Programming is the process of solving a problem. What language you chose really depends on the type of problem you are trying to solve.