What is Python?
Python is an open-source programming language used for data science, web development, machine learning, AI, and automation. While Python dates back to the 1980s, it has experienced a surge of popularity more recently within the tech, data, and FinTech industries. Businesses in these industries build websites and applications, wrangle data, and design software programs for all sorts of purposes with the help of Python and its related tools. Python plays a huge role in the modern technology you use daily. It would be difficult to imagine a world without it.
One defining feature of Python that has contributed to its spread is its huge volume of libraries, many of which are free and open-source. Using libraries and packages such as sci-kit learn, NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib, Python users can write complex code without having to start from scratch. Part of why Python is so versatile is that these libraries allow users to apply it for a wide range of purposes, from reshaping data sets to performing complex mathematical calculations.
Another part of Python’s popularity is that it often doesn’t take too long for beginners to get started with it. Its simple and efficient syntax makes it a good language for new programmers to learn, as well as a language that experienced programmers can pick up relatively quickly. Unlike Java and other languages, you don’t have to install multiple directories before you start coding. Once you download Python itself, you’re ready to go. Since it is free to acquire, the main cost barrier is the computer it runs on.
As a beginner-friendly and open-source language with many applications, Python has achieved worldwide interest. Through conferences, events, online forums, clubs, and social media, Python enthusiasts across continents regularly gather to share advice and collaborate on projects. The global Python user community is an important resource for current and future developers, engineers, analysts, and scientists.
Why Learn Python?
In today’s tech-driven economy, learning a widely used and versatile language like Python can make you an extremely attractive candidate for jobs. Our collective cultural shift to digital spaces has created a need for people who know how to code in every industry. If you are searching for one skill you can pick up to boost your resume, coding is a great choice, and Python is one of the most marketable coding languages you can learn.
There are other languages that serve similar functions to Python, including Ruby, Java, R, and PHP. However, Python’s popularity has maintained even as similar languages have taken root. If it wasn’t already clear, there are a lot of perks to learning Python: a user-friendly syntax, a wide-reaching and highly active user community, lots of online resources, and an open-source build that fuels experimentation and development. Even if you go on to use other languages (or you work a job where you already do), gaining proficiency in Python can help develop your career and give you more opportunities to expand your role in a company.
What Careers Use Python?
Python’s versatility means that it lends itself to several different professions. The two kinds of careers that use Python most often are data-centered positions and development careers. Data professionals write, modify, and run programs with Python to make sense of large amounts of raw data. Web developers use Python to create the backbones of their websites and web applications. Both paths promise many career opportunities, high salaries, and a chance to work in almost any industry. While data and development jobs are most prominent within the tech industry, they’re also prevalent in education, finance, commerce, government, and other sectors.
The types of professionals that use Python for data-related purposes include data scientists, data analysts, and machine learning engineers. Within the field of development, frequent Python users include full stack developers, back end developers, and software engineers. Although these two fields represent the largest concentrations of Python professionals, you can find them in other careers as well. Product managers, cybersecurity experts, and many other people who work in designing or maintaining technology use Python in their everyday work.
What Python Classes Are Available?
Taking a Python class provides an efficient way to develop strong coding skills in an abbreviated period of time. Noble Desktop, NYIM Training’s design school, has a roster of Python courses you can attend in NYC or via live online training. All of these classes are taught by industry experts who guide students through interactive instruction and hands-on projects. Since the frameworks and libraries you’ll use will vary from field to field, it’s best to determine whether you want to learn Python for developing websites, wrangling data, or another purpose before signing up for a class.
If data science is your endgame, the Python for Data Science Bootcamp should be on your radar. It’s a course that begins by covering general concepts related to object-oriented programming, then moves into lessons on conditional statements, arrays, data frames, Python’s libraries, data visualizations, linear regressions, and basic machine learning models. Besides introducing newcomers to Python, this bootcamp can serve as a refresher course for current users who want to improve their skills.
Already use Python for data wrangling and want to start building advanced machine learning skills? Skip the Python for Data Science Bootcamp and go straight to the Python Machine Learning Bootcamp. Made for learners who already have experience with the language and its data science libraries, this class teaches machine learning algorithms like logistic regression and random forest. Students will also learn how to evaluate the performance of their machine learning models.
Noble Desktop also runs a Python bootcamp for those who want to use Python in finance careers. The Python for Finance Bootcamp is a beginner-friendly crash course in using Python for financial analysis. In 18 hours, students will learn how to use Python for calculating VAR, risk management, regression analysis, and other processes. If you’re looking for a more immersive course to help you break into FinTech, Noble’s FinTech Bootcamp is a perfect choice.
For a well-rounded introduction to Python, you can enroll in the Python Programming Bootcamp. Over the course of this class, you’ll build a foundation of knowledge in computer science and the Python software environment. Regular coding exercises will help you become comfortable with Python’s many functions for data and programming. Besides Python and Jupyter Notebook, you’ll work with Git and GitHub. The Python Programming Bootcamp concludes with an application development project that you can add to your portfolio.
Certificate Programs for Python
Getting to know any amount of Python can broaden your professional opportunities. That said, if you want to leverage your Python skills in a new career, you should think about signing up for a certificate course. Certificates give you specialized training in Python based on your anticipated professional field. Besides learning Python, your instructors will lead you through lessons and projects in related languages, tools, and software. When you graduate from your bootcamp, you will be ready to apply your Python skills in an entry-level job.
Noble Desktop’s Data Science Certificate provides training to bring you up from a beginner to an experienced Python user who is prepared to enter a data science career. At the start of the course, you’ll practice basic coding with Python. From there, you’ll move to more advanced projects involving machine learning, data visualization, and task automation. The Data Science Certificate also covers SQL.
If you’re looking to use Python to program websites and applications, check out the Python Developer Certificate. This class focuses specifically on back end development. Through instruction and assignments on Python, Django, Django REST, and SQL, you’ll gain a full understanding of how to create powerful websites, work with web databases, and interact with APIs. At the end of the class, you’ll finalize a portfolio of work to show possible employers.
Another Python-centered certificate program is Software Engineering Certificate, which is designed for individuals who want to achieve a career in software engineering or full stack web development. This extensive program is ideal for those who are new to coding and want to build as diverse, far-reaching, and marketable set of skills as possible. Besides Python, Django, and Django REST, the course covers React, Git, JavaScript, MongoDB, HTML, and CSS.
Data Science v. Web Development
Most Python programmers have careers in data or web development. If you’re new to Python, you may be wondering about the relative benefits of working in one of these fields over the other. Which Python libraries and frameworks are important for data and development? What skills (besides Python) does each field require? What kind of salary can you expect? Having this information can help you determine what career path to pursue and what Python classes you can take to prepare for it.
As a group, data professionals use Python to clean and draw conclusions from data. Besides Python, they should know Excel, SQL, and Tableau. Data scientists and some data analysts also use R for statistical computing. All data professionals need industry-specific knowledge, a background in math and statistics, and general business skills. Since they tend to work with executives who are not data specialists, it’s important for them to be able to take the complex patterns they pull from raw data into explanations and visualizations. Most jobs in data come with high pay, especially for data scientists, who often earn six-figure salaries.
While many developers use Python as well, they use it in a different capacity: to create the websites we visit daily. Apart from Python, web developers should be familiar with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, and Git. For back end programming, Python developers generally use the Python framework Django. All web developers additionally need an understanding of computer science and computer security. Like data science, web development is a lucrative career choice where you can generally make a six-figure salary. Full stack and back end developers generally have the highest earnings—and they are the developers most likely to use Python on a regular basis.