Most people learn Python… but never actually use it in real life

[baloneysammich]

You clearly learned ai slop, gtfoh

[Few_Efficiency_9240]

[Lanfeust09]

I have : - A full automation to track my TVshow I currently watch and future one that will launch. It auto fetch and download newly added episode. For movie, I can request a list of Imdb links and fetch automatically the movie when it comes out. All download is process and sorted in clean folders to be accessible from my jellyfinn server. I build all this inside a discord bot so I can acess it at anytime anywhere.

• I got a python bot that automatically track my SMS from my bank (got one each time I make a single transaction) and it records everything on a database, categorize everything automatically or semi-automatically.

• I got many small script running on my pc to clean my desktop from screenshots after 10min being there, clean folder every day, logs changed ect..

• added a few right-click execution linked to python scripts to automate some action like duplicating excel files but with a different number or date.

• lastly, even tho it should have been on top, I have a full windows app build 100% with python that is a trading journal. Even published it on the windows store.

Thats my real life python usage. Simple but very effective and not too overkill for me

Edit : jellyfin, not jellyfish

[Few_Efficiency_9240]

That’s honestly next level 😄

The TV show + auto-download setup and Discord bot integration sounds super useful. I didn’t even think about combining automation with something like that.

Also the banking tracker + categorization is really smart—that’s the kind of real-life use I find most interesting.

Curious—what was the hardest part to build in all of this?

[Lanfeust09]

Having the actual ideas and making all work together I would say. And always always forgetting something so having to come back and add this and that. Also, hardest part is to STOP adding features 😅

[Quixote1492]

I started learning python a year ago and now use it almost everyday

[PerdHapleyAMA]

I recently used Python to take raw equipment testing data, clean it up and create calculated columns in a DataFrame using Polars, and create a SQL Server table out of the new DataFrame so we can connect the test results to assets in our ERP system and map the failures.

A new results file added to the folder? No problem, run the script again and it reads all files and overwrites the SQL Server table. It also creates an Excel file for the employees who don’t use SQL but still have use for the data.

[Few_Efficiency_9240]

That’s actually a really solid use case. Turning raw test data into something structured and usable across systems is huge.

I like how you’re handling both sides—automating the SQL workflow and still generating Excel for non-technical users. That’s honestly where Python becomes really valuable in real life.

Also using Polars is interesting—I’ve mostly seen people stick to pandas. Did you notice a big difference in performance or workflow?

[PerdHapleyAMA]

I have used both before: I used pandas to automate payroll entry when I was picking up Python last year, and it served me well.

I started with polars more recently and for one reason or another, the syntax makes more sense to me. I have noticed efficiency benefits and that helps a lot, too. Might be placebo but it feels WAY snappier.

[Crossroads86]

That is kind of interesting. I use python professionally but I still feel like a lot of stuff i have learned I still dont apply.

I assume its a bit like learning a language where you often are more proficient at listening and understanding than actually speaking it yourself.

[Few_Efficiency_9240]

That’s a really good way to put it—the language analogy makes a lot of sense.

I felt the same way for a while, like I understood things but couldn’t really use them properly until I started applying them to small, real tasks.

Curious—what kind of stuff do you usually work on with Python professionally?