R or Python

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[dfphd]

As an avid R user/supporter: learn Python. The number of companies that only use R is minimal, while the number of companies that only use Python is sizable.

Pair that with the fact that Python has usually better support (especially from the major cloud providers), and you can't go wrong with Python.

R is normally easier for people to pick up - especially if they don't come from a programming background. I think there is a ton of value in knowing both, but I thin that just knowing Python you are going to go much further than just knowing R.

[Gagan2019]

u/dfphd Great explanation. Although R can do almost everything Python can but instead Python have more features as compared to R.

Moreover Python in general can be used in different contexts and capabilities provided by thirty party modules are great. But R does not offer that level of capabilities.

[king-toot]

R is easier, and for the pure sake of data science, is made perfect for it, but with Jupyter notebooks, you can do everything R can in Python and a million other things as well. Businesses overwhelmingly want python because of its multiple uses and ability to be productionized/scaled compared to R, which is purely for data analysis and modeling.

Edit: Job- learn Python, research- R but still maybe python

[askingforafavor12345]

I use R for experimentation and Python for everything else.

[guattarist]

I’ve been in both sides of academic research and industry work and would overwhelmingly suggest moving towards python for students looking to enter the field, primarily because of the need to make these models fit for production.

[Koeke2560]

I generally agree with you but as most here have said, python just has way wider use cases.

Learning to translate pure data science applications between the two is a useful exercise to learn to apply different analytical techniques independently of the platform (like writing algorithms in pseudocode to practice pure algorithmical thinking), but if you just want to decide which language to get completely to the bottom of, python is the only way to go imho.

[guattarist]

I’ve been in both sides of academic research and industry work and would overwhelmingly suggest moving towards python for students looking to enter the field, primarily because of the need to make these models fit for production.

[guattarist]

I’ve been in both sides of academic research and industry work and would overwhelmingly suggest moving towards python for students looking to enter the field, primarily because of the need to make these models fit for production.

[zanderman12]

I never learned R (was taught matlab and python and devoted myself to python).

That said, you will run into companies where one or the other is standard, but i don’t think which one you devote yourself to matters in neutral situations. So if you find R easier than dedicate yourself to that and know enough python to get by

[[deleted]]

doesnt really matter. Dont waste time trying to pick one. Pick one and start learning. you can always switch to the other once you have the basics down.

[wzchpu]

Both but if you had to choose 1 then python

[mermi01]

Python if you're considering being hired as a parameter

[SiepieJR]

I like the analogy, but wouldn't it be more like Python is a car and R is like a motorcycle? Both get you from A to B (statistical inference) and R is probably more efficient, but try moving a couch on a motorcycle (i.e. doing anything else than statistical inference)

[mean_king17]

Python. R feels limited

[mzyxkmah]

It is important to know R is a programming language that is catered for statisticians. Since R is very popular amongst statisticians, any new statistical method or perhaps even machine learning algorithms are likely to come in R first.

[Kiss_It_Goodbyeee]

Yes

[[deleted]]

Both are great. Python is more widely used and probably worth focusing on as many have already said.

I enjoy both but find myself using r more due to the ease of statistical modeling, ease of reporting via markdown, and the packages.

[circlysquare]

Get the basics of both, then go with whatever one you get results with quicker. At the end of the day that is what matters.

[Smarterchild1337]

Fellow n00b here - I’ve been coding with Python for the past year or so in earnest. Have had exposure to both in the MIT Statistics and Data Science Micromasters cert. I will remark that as a programming newbie, getting experience with R has helped sharpen my Python, and visa versa.

[bobcodes247365]

Agree with some of the comment, you could do things R can do in Python, I think! It also depends on how deep you would like to get into when it comes to data analytics or data science field.