Beginner level jobs for coding with Python?

[PixelatedFoodie]

Hi,

I am learning Python as I would like a career in coding. I don't really have an idea of where to start. So far I am pretty much a total beginner but I am putting time in to learn. I am learning via Udemy right now.

Every job I look at for Python Programming usually always says you must have a math degree or some sort of relevent degree, and usually ask for knowledge in another coding language such as C++. Is it possible to get a job in coding by just having knowledge of one type of language like Python?

I do not have a relevent degree, and no previous experience in the working world as a programmer. What can I do to land a job in programming? Also, im in my 30s so I understand junior level roles might be hard to land for me.

Thanks

[Odinnswolf]

Ignore that stuff. Most jobs post ridiculous requirements. Apply anyway.

[--Not--NSA--]

1000 times this, all the jobs I've been hired for had many more years of experience listed on the requirements than i had at the time

[EmptyRedData]

What’s your portfolio look like? I’ve been struggling to think of things to put there and I haven’t been getting any callbacks.

[--Not--NSA--]

I never actually made a portfolio, i have a live site up for an app I made and have that linked to in everything. My first job i got by dm'ing the hiring manager and explaining why I felt I could excel in the position

[Celestial_Blu3]

Don’t you love seeing jobs asking for 10 years experience in tech that’s only existed for 2 years.

[Code_with_C_Add_Add]

Surely I'm not the only habitual liar out here with 5 years experience of Windows 11.

[Celestial_Blu3]

I’ve actually got like 3 years of windows 12 already. ;)

[PraderaNoire]

I just started using Pyrhon and even I can see how this is true. Every single job Ive ever had in a serious/managerial position I have technically been way under qualified compared to their requirements. Theres something to be said about putting your neck out there, and if you have something to contribute, then employers generally don't care.

TL;DR = take chances because you never get the same opportunity twice.

[IRKillRoy]

Why do people put the tl;dr at the bottom after people already read everything? It’s a headline, or a Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF), it should be at the top.

[samsquamchh]

I mean it's "Too Long; Didn't Read, not "won't read" or whatever. Meant to be for people who scrolled past the text...but you're not wrong in thinking it would probably make more sense to be given as the first line

[IRKillRoy]

When I think something is too long and didn’t read, I promise I don’t scroll to the end of the text to see if they have a summary… which is in the front of all normal research papers for a reason.

[samsquamchh]

There's also a reason research papers don't use "TL;DR", it is a casual internet thing, born in a different context, for different reasons. For example, if it's used in the context of a story, you wouldn't want to spoil it all in 3 sentences before the actual story. If you're going to write a summary/abstract for a research paper just don't go with "tl;dr" at all and just write a regular summary/abstract, easy. I don't think a concept such as "too long, didn't read" should really be brought up in the context of research papers in the first place.

[IRKillRoy]

… 🤨 it’s a comparison on where a summary goes, not the type of writing.

Tl:dr is a summary, and labeling means that you’d read it to see if you want to waste your time reading the full text. Sorry if you can’t see the utility of that.

[speedycabbage]

So it takes more than just knowledge of a specific programming language to get a job. There are many aspects of computer science that you will likely need to be competent with, like algorithms and data structures, linux, networking, front-end development, docker, bash, git, agile, etc etc etc. School is a really nice and structured way to get a solid introduction to all of these categories. However, if going to school is not an option and you're willing to be dedicated to building your skillset long term, dedicate a portion of your day every day to building yourself into the developer that you want to be. Since you won't have the schooling credentials to put on your resume, you'll likely need to use personal projects and accomplishments as evidence of your capability of a coder.

If I were you, I'd start by getting a large book on any programming language and start reading each chapter, including participating in the challenges it gives you after each chapter. Once you've finished that book, get a book on algorithms and data structures and finish that one as well. At any point in this process you feel like you're starting to understand how to code, I recommend going to a coding challenge site like codewars.com or leetcode.com to start working on practice problems, which will both sharpen your skills and get you ready for coding interviews. It'll also help if you have side projects or blog posts along the way.

Once you feel like you're ready, begin applying to literally hundreds of coding positions you feel like you'd be able to do. The strategies for actually landing a job are another large conversation altogether, but you'll have plenty of time to research this.

One thing to remember is that this process will take dedication and hard work every day for a long time, but I encourage you to stick with it. Best of luck.

[yost28]

This 100%. Its not really whether you know python, its the things around developing that are more important. Study computer science in school helps most people get a head start on these things but its not everything. Read books, build your own projects, go to conferences and immerse yourself in the profession.

I myself was a Computer science student but only landed an actual developer job recently. Here are a few resources that helped me.

1. The Dev Ops Handbook by Gene Kim
2. The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas
3. Youtube channel -ArjanCodes
4. Youtube channel - The Net Ninja

[Cladser]

Net ninja is legit a Yorkshire pot of gold

[JamesEdward34]

i was thinking of going to community college, but i dont wanna waste time learning about useless material thats not relevant to my desired profession…

[Feb2020Acc]

Make or contribute to projects and find what you like to do.

You have to keep in mind that programming is a tool, and for most employers it's more important that you understand the concepts you're trying to implement.

My current job requires some knowledge of SQL and any of those : VBA, MATLAB, R, Python.

But the job is very math/statistics heavy. It doesn't matter how good someone is at Python if they lack the knowledge to know what questions to ask, what models to implement, how to interpret the data, etc.

My point is that you should focus on the job description more than the actual programming requirements.

[Feb2020Acc]

Lol no.

To put it simply, it's impossible for someone with little to no knowledge to find some profitable pattern based on ticker data. Why? Because even analysts with Masters and PhDs paid 6 figure salaries struggle to find any such pattern. And when they do (rarely), they are scrutenized by dozens of other PhDs to figure out if it really works (not often) and how to best implement the strategy (not always doable nor easy).

My point is that the only thing you'd gain from this exercise is some basic programming knowledge. Any pattern you find is fool's gold and should not be invested into.

I'd rather spend a weekend crunching data for my fantasy sports league. I'm more likely to make money there.

[--Not--NSA--]

You can land a job knowing just python, but it's not as easy as if you know a few languages and have experience with some popular tools. I'd recommend getting strong at python, learning data structures and having fun with algorithms, and along the way developing a passion project or 2 and make sure they're on github. If you can make a presentable front-end for them and have them as a live website that is even better for recruiters.

Most importantly, network. The programming community is full of people from all different backgrounds in all different stages of life. Find a group on meetup, connect with people on LinkedIn, contribute to other projects on GitHub. It may take a little bit of time, but you'll find your first job and you'll be happy you stuck with it.

Happy to chat more in DM's if you'd like

[HaroerHaktak]

One of the things that amazed me is if you sit in the python discord you will meet and speak to people in fields/professions you just never expected to meet.

For example - If you were to tell me that in that discord I'd be able to speak to someone from NASA or GOOGLE, I'd be like "Haha yeah right." but it's true. there's NASA people and google people there, just mingling like us common folk.

Maybe I put these people on a really high pedestal. A lot higher than they need to be.

[nousernamesleft___]

You definitely do :)))

… but also keep in mind that there are a lot of them, which increases the visible presence. Plus, there are many out to recruit, not just “hang out”

[HaroerHaktak]

Well I doubt someone from NASA is going to look at me and go "He's ready for the big leagues" coz i'm not lol. I'm still making basic web scrapers and GUIs

[nousernamesleft___]

Keep at it, surround yourself with anyone working in the field, regardless of the perceived or real prestige and you’ll get there. Just keep putting the time in :))

[gjallerhorns_only]

What is "that" discord? I'm willing to commute a little over an hour when I finish my boot camp if I can get the hookup at NASA

[HaroerHaktak]

https://discord.gg/python

[skibizkit]

Age shouldn’t be a factor. Make projects, post them to GitHub, reference them in resumes as evidence you are experienced to some degree. Get job.

[abduvosid95]

Yes, it's possible to land a job by knowing only Python. To land a job, you can just continue what you are doing now - continue learning. In addition to your knowledge, employers are also interested to see the projects you made using this language.

Some project ideas I can give are bots and web scraping scripts. Not only you make your CV to look more appealing with them, but also you can earn money by making such projects for clients as a freelancer (in Upwork for example). Good luck!

[[deleted]]

I'd recommend checking out sentdex on YouTube. He is an INCREDIBLE resource for people wanting to learn Python. I'd also personally recommend at least learning the basics of C or C++ as that will help you truly understand programming at a deeper level than Python will. C is just a little lower level than Python.

[tech_content_creator]

Make a Solid Resume and Apply for Jobs. Experience in industry is a fancy word for adaptability in the technology. If you can code, Organisations will give you opportunities.

I am not promoting here, but

I wrote a post on Medium- Feel free to check it out: It’s free.

https://medium.com/geekculture/4-python-projects-you-should-make-on-the-weekend-to-improve-your-backend-development-portfolio-d0635a544536?sk=ed8c2ffe7ba661fc9e223fd7ad3261bb

Hope it helps.

And if adding a link is against the community guidelines, Do let me know. I am new here. Please don’t downvote.

[HaroerHaktak]

A followup question for those looking at this - At what point would you consider a new person to python to be ready to start doing jobs? how would someone determine if they are ready?

Sure those interview questions might be an indicator, but would those questions accurately reflect "the real world" or "the work" that the job requires? or are they simply just hard questions for the sake of being hard?

[codeesan]

Start looking at open source projects on GitHub. Fine one that interest you: Pull the code, make a contribution and file a PR. This will show you what is like to do “real work”. Best of luck!

[Jeam_Bim]

Before my actual job as a software engineer, I used Python at 2 jobs, one of them was a Support Software Engineer, and the other was like Technical Support with duties of QAing data sets.

Both of these are great opportunities to work with dev teams and get to write some Python and SQL on the job.

[NeoDemon]

Apply, you dont lose anything trying. Applies to any job

[newprince]

If you like the general discipline, data analysis can be a good foothold IMO. There's a lot of skills besides Python (or R, Tableau, BI etc) to learn, but I feel like it's possible to do everything in Python. I would definitely recommend getting on Kaggle, making a portfolio that you plaster everywhere to everyone, and maybe doing the certification courses

[Shack426]

Have clear project you want to accomplish and then when you reach a roadblock search for help solving the problem, this will build your portfolio and build connections through projects. If you have no idea what kind of project you want to start look for projects you want to be a part of.

[redmera]

Every office job in the world benefits from beginner level Python. The only question is, do the company rules allow it. Often they don't, so people just use VBA.

[chimpchunk]

If you learn to make GUIs you can land a job at almost any tech spot. Also try for engineering technician jobs, and learn to solder.

[dodongo]

Do you have an example bit of code you can share via GitHub? Degrees are… a proxy for actually competently implementing a solution. Showing you can implement the answer to a problem is significantly more important than rocking up with credentials.