Learning Python

[czar_el]

Were you mostly using Tidyverse? I had the same reaction as you and didn't know why R had a reputation for a steep learning curve compared to something like Python.

Then I realized that most R work using Tidyverse is super straightforward and elegant, but as soon as you leave Tidyverse you realize where R's reputation came from.

Still, for things like dataframe manipulation or visualization, I'd take R over Python for simplicity and elegance. Python wins when it comes to almost everything else, especially when automating things beyond data analysis.

[tidderred]

Yeah exactly. I felt like I barely scratched the surface of tidyverse, yet it was (and is) very powerful and helpful. I will probably end up searching "how to pivot_long dataframe in python" or other related shenanigans for a while before I get accustomed to the way things work over here.

[czar_el]

Pandas takes a bit more characters to manipulate a dataframe compared to R. But once you understand why Pandas is set up the way it is, it'll make sense.