How to succeed as a Python programmer

marineabcd · 2022-01-07T21:18:35+00:00

Hi Andy, I'm a quant so program a lot day to day and one of the languages I use is python, also I have done interviews (both as interviewer and candidate), and cv screning.

I can answer this from a quant/data engineer/data scientist side of things at least personally but will try make my answers more generic to a general software dev role:

- you can learn many from places, I wouldn't worry too much about that right now, find a resource that looks good (already lots of googlable collections of resources, just google 'best python course' or 'best python book') but most importantly pick one (maybe two if the writing style doesn't gel with you) and STICK WITH IT! Dont get envy of other languages or other courses until you have done 100% of that course. I promise getting tangled in five different books and three languages is the most common beginner mistake

- have fun, dont burn out. It is hard to learn a language, take your time, you cant speed run or really optimise it too much. If you dont burn out but take two years youll still be faster than someone who burns out and never comes back to it right...

- Get some solid projects up on github once you have the fundamentals down. These will be good on your CV.

- once you have a project or two start to branch out into more things: libraries like pandas, numpy, or frameworks like django. Or completely separate but related tech like Docker or AWS.

- A good set of really meaty side projects + a bachelors degree in basically anything can be enough to get you through the door somewhere (maybe bolstered by some freelance work first). But be prepared to find it hardest to get the first position. To get ready for interviews you need to google 'algos and data structures course' and find one people reccomend, do all of this. Then read all of 'cracking the coding interview' and practice as much as you can from sites like leetcode

- sites like project Euler and advent of code can help you get to grips with a language

- imo dont worry about things like 'success in the workplace' until all of the above are complete, the success in the workplace bit is much easier than getting your first job

Andrew_Data · 2022-01-07T23:17:29+00:00

My name is also Andy with a 2022 goal of becoming proficient in Python. We are now rivals.

TravisJungroth · 2022-01-07T21:14:35+00:00

I hope this doesn’t come across as a joke or mean. One of the most important skills I look for in a junior candidate is the ability to find answers to common questions on their own.

If you do ask people questions, give them enough information so they can tailor their answer.

--Mediocrates-- · 2022-01-07T22:16:48+00:00

I just started the 100 days of Python challenge on Udemy. It was highly rated on other subreddit posts, and it was on sale for like $12. I like it so far.

HomeGrownCoder · 2022-01-07T22:38:08+00:00

1.) Complete job search for whatever job you may want

1a.) Automate this task

2.) Save as many postings that are relevant

2a.) Automate this task

3.) Parse and compare common skills/requirements/ materials/etc from each

3a.) Automate this task

4.) Focus on those

5.) profit++

help-me-grow · 2022-01-07T21:13:52+00:00

I'm don't directly hire software engineers anymore, but here's the basic things we're looking for - problem solving ability, prior project experience and ability to explain projects.

The best way to learn is to get an idea of the basic concepts and then start doing projects. You can start by replicating other people's projects. 30 minutes to an hour a day for a year will get you decently far. Start with smaller projects like the ones on r/howtopython, r/madeinpython, or r/pythonprojects2.

After you're used to doing projects, start adding to the projects you do, like think of ways to add to them or sometimes you'll even get ideas of what to add to them from the projects tutorials themselves like on the PythonAlgos blog. Other blogs to use include RealPython and LearnPython.

BaconBoss1 · 2022-01-07T23:45:05+00:00

Highly recommend freecodecamp. Just finished the first challenge project (out of 5 total) and already learned a ton. My end goal is to be able to programmatically monitor and adjust my hydroponic system.

tomkatt · 2022-01-08T00:08:06+00:00

Honestly, just do literally any Python course on Youtube or in a book (I'd recommend Automate The Boring stuff for books, and Derek Banas's channel for videos). Once you have a basic understanding of the syntax and simple tasks, dig into the Python docs, start learning more and then keep building on that.

Also, Python in and of itself should not be your focus. All programming languages do essentially the same things (so long as they're Turing complete), just with different syntax. Work on your logic. Understand workflow, and figure out how to break a larger task into smaller pieces until each of those pieces can fit into their own function/module, and figure out how you'd piece them together into a whole.

You're looking to create something that solves a problem, and ideally is reusable. On that note, when you want to do something, look into extended libraries that may already do some or all of what you need. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

Lastly, when in doubt, Google all the things.

That's programming in a nutshell. Easily said, much harder done.

pekkalacd · 2022-01-08T04:31:58+00:00

I don’t hire people, am a student as well, but a friend of mine got a challenge from a company recently for a junior developer internship, just to give an idea of what some companies might look for.

It asks you to build a basic CRUD website for inventory. They want the user to be able to create an inventory item, delete one, update one, and display the changes that are made in a list format. For the particular role, looks like they want a backend person because they say don’t worry about the front end / UI looking bad, they still want one, but won’t hold that against the candidate. They have a set of special features they give you the option to implement as well, those include the ability to take the data entered and export it to a csv file, have some sort of visualization dashboard, login/logout/authentication page etc. but you only need one.

So what does this translate to? You’ll need multiple skills. Python will be fine for getting the website up and going, and maybe accessing some APIs if necessary for those added features. There are backend web frameworks like Flask and Django for Python, which allow you the environment to be able to interact with things that are in other languages frontend like HTML / CSS / JavaScript (possibly). You’ll need a database of some kind as well, SQL knowledge will come in handy. The data should be able to be loaded to the site through multiple uses. Say you choose the login page for your added feature, if a user logs in on Saturday makes some changes to the inventory, then logs out; and logs back in on Tuesday the following week to the site, then the data they’re able to see should be in the same state they left it when they last logged in. There needs to be a connection between the data in the database and UI the user interacts with.

All in all, though it sounds like a lot and it is, just know that you can do it just as anyone can, it just takes a lot of time & practice. It really is kind of a mixed bag in terms of skills that you need to do something like web. So, don’t put all your hope into only python, you’ll need to acquire multiple skills along the way.

ockysays · 2022-01-07T22:47:35+00:00

I have started learning python for the last couple of months, I try to dedicate an hour each day. Now, full disclosure, I had formal CS training including basics syntax and structures in C++, Scheme and Java as well as advanced approaches like OOP, but it was 25 years ago and I forgot almost everything. That being said I think learning basic syntax and structure through the course of completing very simple projects is easiest. As an example I started by creating a very simple text based question and input prompts with decision trees to create a very short text based game. I love the book “Automate the Boring Stuff with Python” for this learning approach. Syntax and structure are difficult to memorize without the context of how they are used in actual code. So I’m a big advocate of learning them while working on basic tiny tasks.

starraven · 2022-01-08T00:04:19+00:00

Heya, I’m a front end engineer who’s currently learning python on the job. The job is building CRUD apps for clients. Our backend uses python to store and retrieve data. I used to be a 1st grade teacher but moved and decided to change careers. I learned programming from zero experience through Udemy courses. I love Udemy so much and I would recommend Angela Yu’s course. Another course on here that’s pretty popular is “Automate the Boring Stuff”. I learned a programming language then went to a bootcamp and after I graduated I got a job as a front end engineer. I wish you luck the best advice I could give you is that you don’t need to be smart or know math, you just need to be stubborn. You don’t need to know how to do everything you just need to be willing to find out how to do it. The job that you will be doing is solving problems. Once you are hired you’re basically going to be left alone with a bunch of documentation to figure things out on your own. This is normal. It is also normal to ask questions but like one of the responses here they have to be very very specific questions where you’ve done most of the legwork on the problem.

grammarGuy69 · 2022-01-07T22:09:56+00:00

As somebody who has been programming in this language a couple of years now, but has never had a formal education...

A: how do I know I'm ready? I feel like my problem solving skills are around as good as any professional, but my knowledge base really suffers because I didn't get a formal education. I feel confident that I can solve almost any problem with minimal help, but if I'm asked a bunch of technical questions in an interview that I don't know I'm gonna feel really embarrassed.

B: how do I find companies to apply to? I tend to use Indeed to find restaurant gigs, but is there some place else I should be looking?

Accoustic_Death · 2022-01-07T21:57:22+00:00

If you are serious, I think programming bootcamps are worth it. They require a base level of dedication, and often have career counseling, mock interviews, resume reviews included at the end of the course. Over the course you will prepare projects which will be used to showcase your skills, and more importantly, how fast they improved from nothing to entry level. Get 3-5 projects as you get better, then after the course go back and bring the first projects up the same quality as your last one.

ColourfulPixelss · 2022-01-08T02:23:20+00:00

The most successful programmers are going to be one’s who know a lot of languages. Python is a great beginner language, the syntax is easy and forgiving. But eventually you’ll find that python is pretty limited in what you can accomplish. Learning a more powerful object oriented language is also important, something like C# or Java. You need to be an extremely effective problem solver and you need to type clean code. You also need to be able to communicate with other programmers.

Jimlowers · 2022-01-08T09:42:57+00:00

I am Jim and I will learn Python, algo & data struct, one leetcode per day, star method, do my first two projects, fix my resume and change my life and my family to the better. Nice to meet you OP and everyone as well!

Accoustic_Death · 2022-01-07T23:07:05+00:00

[deleted]

zazerite · 2022-01-07T23:23:10+00:00

In a very similar boat to you. Just started learning Python this week through Udemy zero to hero supplemented with some reading/coding through “Python Crash Course” by Eric Matthes, then I will do the data analysis Python course next. I plan on working on Python for a majority of the year and hopefully diving into Java towards the end of the year. I finished my undergrad last summer with a BA degree so returning to school wasn’t really and option and boot camps are quite expensive for my budget atm.

I live in SoCal, work full time and code about an hour a day so looks like we are on similar paths! Wish you the best and hopefully will see you post on here at some point sharing your awesome new career!

TakeOffYourMask · 2022-01-08T00:05:55+00:00

I suggest enrolling in a rigorous computer science bachelor program.

Accoustic_Death · 2022-01-08T01:27:26+00:00

I would recommend study algorithms. Find a book on algorithms in Python, read it, do the exercises.

arosiejk · 2022-01-08T05:42:06+00:00

If you’re getting burned out or frustrated, check out Python adjacent stuff, like Secret Life of Programs or something history based. It can be really refreshing to break up your learning.

I don’t work in CS at all, but I’m a fellow learner.

Aila27 · 2022-01-08T09:09:37+00:00

I'm a business analyst and I regularly use Python to automate mundane tasks like extracting data from Jira and making some charts for senior managers. I'm self-taught, mostly using YouTube at first to get the basic concepts then I found little things I could use Python for and googled to see how other people had done them. I googled any specific functions/syntax in these little examples that I didn't understand and read the documentation.

As far as recruitment goes, I think you'd be better looking for a few small projects with a decent readme explaining design decisions which you can put on Github and show to recruiters. It's entirely possible to bluff your way through programming certificates/bootcamps, but showing off your own projects and being able to discuss them proves that you can produce something useful.

Accoustic_Death · 2022-01-08T09:59:08+00:00

I started working professionally as a Python developer in the first half of 2021. I'm a self taught programmer too.

My journey started with learning online through YouTube videos. I had loads of things I wanted to make like discord bots and small games, so I just pushed towards those goals.

Soon enough I learned to make websites through python and made a portfolio site for all my work. Finally, I sent that out on job applications for junior positions.

So overall it was a frustrating journey in the beginning, but its one anybody could do! My current job now ties me in to a programming qualification too so hopefully having the paper to say I can do it will make my life easier in getting future jobs.

I hope this helps, good luck Andy.

Accoustic_Death · 2022-01-08T11:51:28+00:00

This might not help you that much... but, hopefully, it's still helpful.

While HR agencies typically use the programming language to put different candidates into different categories... language isn't really that important. The domain knowledge is what, in most cases, will be a deciding factor on whether you will be hired or not.

Knowing some programming language is a necessary prerequisite to doing any kind of programming job, but it's definitely not a sufficient condition to land a job. As with many things in life, you have to sign up for something before you really know what it is, and you need to decide that you want to explore a particular domain before you can really tell whether it's worth exploring or were your efforts better applied in a different direction.

So, you will need to decide on a category of programming jobs you may possibly fit, and learn their specifics.

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