Why Learn Python?
Easy to Build & Test
Python code is very similar to English and can, therefore, be learned quickly. We are therefore witnessing an increase in start-up technology companies using Python as their preferred language.
Unlike Java or C++, Python’s syntax is very simple which allows programmers to focus on the product they are trying to build and not the syntax they need to follow. All this and more leads to products in Python being launched faster and smarter. Programmers can launch minimal viable products into the market for customer testing. The result is the creation of more technology products that have a proven and tested market. This ultimately prompts an increase in the flow of venture capital money into products built on Python.
The Language of the People
A language is only as strong and as useful as the number of people who are using it. Python has just surpassed 35 million downloads per year and an estimated 5 million programmers worldwide are using Python as their preferred language. The massive adoption of Python by programmers is a testament to its strength and speed. This also creates a highly valuable social network of Python developers. From searching for debugging answers on Stack Overflow to finding a job in a new city, the Python social network reigns supreme.
Diverse Network
With Python, programmers can build software for NASA, create data science models for Fortune 500 companies, and scrape data from websites and academic journals. In other words, there is an endlessly diverse group of people who use Python for very different reasons: the traditional programmers use it to build software and foster technological innovation, the data scientists will use it to build models to see which marketing strategy is most effective, and the academics use it to retrieve data autonomously using Python web scraping extension such as Beautiful Soup.
Prominent Companies Are Using Python
Instagram, Spotify, Amazon, Facebook are all examples of companies who currently use Python as their coding language of choice.
Instagram uses Python because it fits with their company philosophy to “do the simple thing first.” Instagram uses Django web framework which is written in Python. Another reason engineers at Instagram opted to use Python is because it is simple and effective which allows them to launch new features with little downtime.
Spotify uses Python mostly for data analysis and backend services, but programmers at Spotify said, “Python has a habit of turning up in other random places, as most of our developers are happy programming in it.” Amazon and Facebook also use Python for features including recommended friends and products.
Frameworks & Environments & Libraries
Python's frameworks and environments all it to be used for a variety of tasks.
- Django is a full stack Python web framework that is open source and free to all. Django is widely popular amongst developers because it provides programmers with templates that simplify complex code.
- Flask is a Python web framework that allows the use of Python in web development.
- Beautiful Soup is a library for pulling data off of the internet.
- Jupyter is an open-source web application that allows programmers to input, analyze, and visualize data.