Everything You Need to Know about Python

If you’re looking to make your career in the field of web development or software development, then learning the foundation of HTML, CSS and Javascript is a must. But if you want to stand out of the crowd, then learning an additional programming language is necessary.

There are lots of coding languages in the market, but which one to choose? No, it is not the time to think about it, but it’s the time to figure out which language gives you a higher return on investments.

And it brings us to Python. Python is one of the most famous and in-demand skills for the 21st century. Let’s dive into learning everything you need to know about Python.

What is Python?

Python is a high-level, object-oriented, dynamically-typed, interpreted scripting language designed by Guido van Rossum, a Dutch programmer. Most beginners prefer Python as their first language to learn because of its simplicity and versatility. Python syntax uses English keywords that make it easy to understand and beginner-friendly language. It is well supported, maintained, and documented by the python community that increases its popularity.

Python is used for:

• Developing websites and software
• Task Automation
• Desktop GUIs
• Conduct Data Analysis and Data Visualization
• Scientific and Numeric computing
• Software testing and Prototyping
• Business Applications

Mostly all types of applications can be implemented in Python. Python is an open-source language, so developers and coders regularly contribute to enhance the language by developing new libraries. Also, there is a huge Python community, always welcoming for any kind of help, advice, mentorship, etc.

Why learn Python?

Python is known for its simplicity and versatility. Whether we talk about Big Data or Data Science, or if we talk about website or app development, then Python applications are everywhere. Python is becoming so popular that every aspirant wants to acquire Python programming skills.

Most beginners choose Python as their first coding language because of the simple syntax that makes it a beginner-friendly language. Also, Python codes are shorter than other programming languages such as C, C++, Java, etc. Moreover, demand for Python is in multiple fields such as web development, big data, natural language processing, data analysis, data visualization, statistical analysis, and many more.

Python is also known for its flexibility and scalability. You can easily integrate Python with other programming languages as it supports multiple programming paradigms, and also you can use Python to invoke C or C++ libraries.

Python is a rich source of libraries. No other languages contain as many libraries as Python. Libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-Learn, PyBrain, Matplotlib, SciPy, StatsModels, etc., are used in the field of data science, data analysis, and scientific computing.

Python is such a powerful and versatile language, you might think it will take months to learn Python, but it is not. You can easily learn Python Basic in 4-6 weeks if you are aware of coding languages. That makes Python a beginner-friendly language.

Integrated Development Environment and Frameworks in Python

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) 

There are lots of IDEs (Integrated Development Environment) where we can run and execute our Python programs such as Spyder, Atom, Jupyter, Komodo, Thonny, PyCharm, and Wingware but one of the most popular IDEs is Jupyter. Jupyter Notebook helps you to execute commands cell by cell and understand what each code does.

Frameworks

A framework is a collection of modules or packages which provide easiness while developing software or an application. The framework helps by providing structure for an app or web development. It is more reliable, fast, and easily maintainable.

Python offers lots of frameworks; choosing an appropriate framework depends on our project requirements. Here are some popular frameworks:

• Bottle
• Django
• AIOHTTP
• Web2py
• Flask
• TurboGears
• Pyramid
• Giotto
• CherryPy

There are lots of frameworks, but the most popular and used by developers are Django and Flask.

Django: Django is a full-stack Python framework. It is free and open-source. Django is based on the principle of Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY). It offers multiple inbuilt libraries and includes all necessary features by default. Django has an Object Relation Model (ORM) for mapping objects to database tables.

Future Scope of Python:

This powerful language has advanced tools and libraries which are used in the field of Web development, Gaming, System administrator, Application development, etc. But not only this, but future technologies are also relying on Python. Python is used as a core element for research, production, and development. Here are some technologies that use Python frameworks or libraries for research, production, and development.

• Artificial Intelligence: There is no doubt that Python is one of the dominating languages when Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes into the picture. With the help of AI, it becomes possible to make applications like speech recognition, robots, autonomous cars, etc. Here are some Python libraries that are used in various AI branches:

1. Machine Learning :Matplotlib, Pytorch, Tensorflow, Scikit-learn, PyML, etc.
2. Natural Language Processing : NLTK, CoreNLP, TextBlob, Quepy, etc.
3. Neural Network :Neurolab, pyrenn, Scikit-Neural network, ffnet, etc.

• Big Data: Python is a demanding language when it comes to data analysis or analyzing a large number of data sets. It has a large number of libraries and toolkits to handle and manipulate data and visualize something useful from it. Libraries such as Numpy, SciPy, Pandas, IPython, Matplotlib, PySpark, Dask, etc., are part of it.

• Networking: The scope of Python is also in the field of Networking. Python tools and libraries help in reading, writing and configuring router switches. Some libraries and tools used in Networking are Asyncio, Diesel, Twisted, Pyzmq, NAPALM, Pyeapi, Pulsar, Netmiko, etc. These libraries are mostly used for network automation by network engineers.

Organization Using Python

There are many companies and organizations using Python as their main or supportive language to meet their customer requirements. Even some of the government organizations are using Python for various purposes. Organizations such as Google, Youtube, Dropbox, Netflix, Instagram, Quora, RedHat, Flipkart, Amazon, Facebook, NASA, etc., use Python in some aspects. Here are the lists of some top organizations using Python and its framework in their chief areas of production.

• NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) didn’t officially release which programming language they use, but NASA utilized Python for their project as this can be found from their mega 400 open-source projects that are publicly opened. In the Workflow Automation System (WAS), Python plays an important role, which was developed by NASA’s shuttle support contractor, USA (United Space Alliance).

• Google: Google adapted Python in its early stage. Python is used in Google, internal systems, report generations, search algorithms, and many more. Youtube is a subsidiary of Google, Inc that also uses Python for viewing the video, controlling templates, etc. Google Developers’ main site is also using Python.

• Facebook: Python is not the main language for Facebook, but then also it contributes 21% of the total infrastructure codebase, which means Facebook uses thousands of Python libraries and millions of lines of code. The life cycle of their hardware and infrastructure management are managed and controlled by Python.

• Instagram: Instagram is one of the biggest Python users in the world. They build their photo-sharing app on Django, which is a Python framework. They choose Python because of its simplicity and practicality, which fits well with Instagram’s philosophy of “do the simple thing first.” Instagram has 400 million active users per day, and Python proved that it could also scale massively.

Career in Python

It is clear from the future scope and popularity of Python in different industries that a career in Python is demanding. So from different sources, it is found that, on average, the salary of a Python developer is around INR 5,80,000 per annum. A web developer can earn in the range of INR 8,00,000 per annum. The senior developer can earn around INR 2,000,000 per annum based on project management and team management skills. Moreover, a data scientist’s salary can range around INR 7,00,000 per annum. A machine learning engineer can get INR 6,70,000 per annum. A data analyst can range INR 4,17,000 per annum and many more.

Here is the list of some top demanding roles in the field of Python:

• Data Analyst
• Python Developer
• Product Manager
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Web Developer
• Senior Developer
• Business Analyst
• Data Scientist

How to Learn Python?

Well, now it is easy to learn Python from the comfort of your home because Great Learning is providing 700+ free online courses with certifications that include Machine Learning, Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, Python for Machine Learning, Data Visualization, Data Science Foundation, Artificial Intelligence with Python and many more. Not only this, but they are also providing Python tutorials for beginners, live lectures on Career, Learning, and Expert sessions with industry experts who will guide you on emerging technologies and what companies are looking for, and how you can crack the interview.

If you are a beginner and want to learn Python from the start then this tutorial is for you, where you will learn each and everything from the beginning with hands-on examples for each concept.

Hope this article helps you a lot for understanding this topic. If you’re interested in free online courses with certificates, so enrol today on Great Learning Programme. Learning a new skill can also translate to more job opportunities in your career.