javinpaul

Posted on Apr 22, 2019 • Updated on Jan 13

Is is worth learning Python Programming language in 2024? [Answer]

#python #beginners #programming #coding

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If you follow my blog regularly then you may be wondering why am I writing an article to tell people to learn Python? Didn't I ask you to prefer Java over Python a couple of years ago?

Well, things have changed a lot since then. As of now, Python replaced Java as the most popular language in colleges and Universities and since then it has never looked back.

Python is growing and growing big time. If you read programming and technology news or blog post then you might have noticed the rise of Python as many popular developer communities including StackOverflow and Codecademy has mentioned the rise of Python as a major programming language.

But, the biggest question is why should a programmer learn Python? Python is growing Ok, that's great, but it doesn't mean Java is going down or C++ is declining.

Well, I am a proud Java developer and it is my favorite programming language and it will always remain, but, that doesn't stop us from learning potential new tools and programming language which will make you a better programmer and Python fits that bill.

For beginners, it's simple, start with Python because it is easy to learn and powerful enough to build a web application and automate the boring stuff

Actually, a couple of years back, scripting was the main reason for learning Python and that was also the first and foremost reason I attracted to Python and preferred it over Perl, another popular scripting language of that time.

For experienced programmers or someone who already know Ruby, Java, or JavaScript, learning Python means acquiring a new and powerful tool in your arsenal and I have yet to come up with a programmer who says no to a tool and that's the right way to look when you learn a new programming language.

As mentioned in the classical Automate the Boring Stuff with Python book, Python gives you the ability to automate trivial stuff, and let you focus on more exciting and useful things.

Automate Boring Stuff with Python --- best book for Python lovers

If you are a Java developer you can do that with Groovy as well but Groovy doesn't offer you what Python in terms of its wide reach in APIs, libraries, frameworks, and domains like Data Science, Machine learning, and Web Development.

If you have already made up your mind and just want to start with Python right now, I suggest you take a look at the Complete Python Bootcamp: Go from zero to hero in Python Course by Jose Portilla on Udemy, one of the easiest course to become a Python Developer in 2024.

10 Reasons to Learn Python Programming in 2024

If you are thinking of learning Python but not sure why you should do that then here are 10 reasons which highlight the benefits of learning Python in 2024.

Though, the questions depend upon who is asking them i.e. for a beginner, learning Python makes sense because it's simple and the main reason for learning Python is simplicity.

Similarly, for an experienced programmer who is looking to go into Data Science and Machine learning, learning Python makes sense because it's quickly becoming the most used programming language and there are powerful APIs and library available for AI, Data Science, and Machine learning.

Anyway, without any further ado, here are my 10 reasons to learn Python in 2024:

1. Data Science

This is the single, biggest reason why many programmers are learning Python in 2024. I know many of my friends who are bored with their Java programming jobs in Investment banks and are learning Python on Udemy to make a career in Data Science due to exciting work and high pay.

But, what makes Python a preferred language for Data Science and Machine Learning? Didn't R considered best for that not too long ago? Well, I think the libraries and framework Python offers like. PyBrain, NumPy, and PyMySQL on AI, Data Science, and Machine learning are some of those reasons.

Another reason is diversity, Python experience allows you to do a lot more than R e.g. you can create scripts to automate stuff, go into web development and so much more.

If you are interested in becoming a Data Scientist in 2024 and looking for pointers, I suggest you check outData Science, Deep Learning, & Machine Learning with Pythoncourse on Udemy. I have purchased this course and it's one of the awesome resources. You can get it in less than $10 sometimes.

2. Machine Learning

This is another reason why programmers are learning Python in 2024. The growth of machine learning has been phenomenal in the last couple of years and it's rapidly changing everything around us.

Algorithms become sophisticated day by day, the best example is Google's Search Algorithms, which can now answer what you are expecting. There are Chatbots around to answer your queries and Uber is driven by Algorithms.

If you are interested in machine learning, want to do a pet project, or just want to play around, with Python is the only major programming language that makes it easy.

Though there are machine learning libraries available in Java, you will find more content around Python as the developer community is preferring Python over anything else in Data Science and Machine learning.

If you are interested in doing web development with Python, I suggest you further check Machine Learning A-Z™: Hands-On Python & R In Data Sciencecourse on Udemy

3. Web Development

The good old development is another reason for learning Python. It offers so many good libraries and frameworks like Django and Flask which makes web development easy.

The task which takes hours in PHP can be completed in minutes on Python. Python is also used a lot for web scrapping. Some of the popular websites on the Internet like Reddit is built using Python.

If you are interested in web development using Python I suggest you join thePython and Django Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp course by JoshPortilla.

In fact, there is a free Python course on Udemy which will teach you that while teaching Python.

4. Simplicity

This is the single biggest reason for beginners to learn Python. When you first start with programming and coding, you don't want to start with a programming language that has tough syntax and weird rules.

Python is both readable and simple. It is also easier to set up, you don't need to deal with any classpath problems like Java or compiler issues like C++.

Just install Python and you are done. While installing it will also ask you to add Python in PATH which means you can run Python from anywhere on your machine.

5. Huge Community

You need a community to learn new technology and friends are your biggest asset when it comes to learning a programming language. You often get stuck with one or other issue and that time you need a helping hand.

Thanks to Google, you can find the solution to any Python-related problem in minutes. Communities like StackOverflow also bring many Python experts together to help newcomers.

6. Libraries and Frameworks

One of the similarities between Python and Java is the sheer number of open-source libraries, frameworks, and modules available to do whatever you want to do. It makes application development really easy.

Just imagine creating a web application without Spring in Java or Django and Flask in Python. It makes your job simple as you only need to focus on business logic.

Python has numerous libraries for different needs. Django and Flask are two of the most popular for web development and NumPy and SciPy are for Data Science.

In fact, Python has one of the best collections of machine learning and data science libraries like TensorFlow, Scikit-Learn, Keras, Pandas and many more.

If you want to learn more about Python machine learning libraries, I suggest you join the Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp course, one of my favorite.

7. Automation

When I first came to know about Python was due to one of my scripting needs. I was working with an application that receives messages over UDP and there was a problem, we were not seeing messages in the log.

I wanted to check if we are receiving any UDP traffic on that box and that port or not but I couldn't find a handy UNIX command to do that.

One of my friends, who sits next to me was learning Python and he wrote a utility in just 5 minutes to intercept UDP message using one of the Python modules.

Obviously, I was impressed with the time it took for him to write such a tool but that just highlights the power of Python when it comes to writing scripts, tools and automating stuff.

If you seriously want to know how much Python helps with automation, my favorite place is the Automate the boring stuff with Python book, simply awesome book.

8. Multipurpose

One of the things I like about Python is its Swiss Army knife nature. It's not tied to just one thing e.g. R which is good on Data Science and Machine learning but nowhere when it comes to web development. Learning Python means you can do many things.

You can create your web applications using Django and Flask, Can do Data Analysis using NumPy, Scipy, Scikit-Learn, and NLTK.

At a bare minimum, you can use Python to write scripts to automate many of your day-to-day tasks.

9. Jobs, Career, and Growth

Python is growing really fast and big time and it makes a lot of sense to learn a growing programming major programming language if you are just starting your programming career.

It not only help you to get a job quickly but also it will also accelerate your career growth. IMHO, for beginners, after simplicity, this should be the most important reason to learn Python

10. Salary

Python developers are one of the highest-paid developers, particularly in Data Science, Machine learning, and web development.

On average also, they are very good-paying, ranging from 70,000 USD to 150,000 USD depending upon their experience, location, and domain.

If you are interested in learning more about high-paying technology jobs, I suggest checking my earlier post about 10 highest paid technology jobs for Software Engineers in 2024**.

Best Resources to Learn Python in 2024

Now that we know its worth learning Python because it is an in-demand programming language and has applications in data science, web development, and Machine Learning, its time to find out where to learn Python in 2024.

If you decide to learn Python in 2024 then here are some of the useful Python books, courses, and tutorials to start your journey in the beautiful world of Python.

And if you are still not convinced about learning Python then look at this image, it correctly shows the life of a Python developer:

That's all about some of the important reasons to learn Python in 2024. As I said, it's important to know programming and coding in today's world and if you don't know coding you are missing something Python is a great way to start learning to code.

For programmers who already know Java or C++, learning Python not just make you a Polyglot programmer but also gives you a powerful tool in your arsenal to write scripts, create a web application and open door on the exciting field of Data Science and Machine Learning.

In short, if you could learn just one programming language in 2024 then make it to Python, and start with, The Complete Python Masterclass is the best course.

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Closing Notes

Thanks, You made it to the end of the article ... Good luck with your Python journey! It's certainly a great decision and will pay you a lot shortly.

I have also shared some resources to learn Python for Data Science, Machine Learning, Web Development, and general Scripting work, so take advantage of that.

If you like this article, then please share it with your friends and colleagues, and don't forget to follow javarevisited on Twitter and javinpaul on Medium!

P. S. --- Do you Want to Become a Python Developer in 2024? If Yes, then you can also check out the Python for Everybody specialization on Coursera, one of the most recommended Python certification program for beginners.

P.P.S. --- If you need some FREE resources, you can check out this list of Free Python Courses to start your preparation.

Top comments (25)

Jason C. McDonald • Apr 22 '19 • Edited

As a Python developer, I definitely agree it's worth learning. That said, popularity is a terrible reason to choose any language or platform. Suitability is a far better motivator; as you've pointed out, Python is suitable to a number of tasks.

One you didn't mention was GUI design. Python has excellent, cross-platform support of Qt5, GTK+, and many others. It's superb for application design, in my experience.

Of course, Python also isn't an end-all. The danger of cute little cartoons like the one you posted is that it doesn't accurately represent every case. For some tasks, Python is indeed that easy. For other tasks, it's like (as I've said before) "beating yourself to death with a wet trout". Every tool to its purpose.

P.S. I've heard that "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" is good - I even have a copy, and plan to read it soon - but it's a bit young to be considered a "classic" just yet. ;-)

Reese Poirier • Apr 22 '19

Agreed. I'm a big Python fan, but just because you can do something in a language doesn't mean it's a good idea. I wouldn't build an enterprise web app in Python any more than I'd use javascript to automate my OS updates.

I'd also like to plug Adafruit's CircuitPython.

javinpaul • Apr 23 '19

I agree on this point but in order to choose the right language for the job you need to know a couple of them and Python is suitable for many common task like scripting, web dev, data science etc.

Reese Poirier • Apr 23 '19

Oh absolutely. No disagreements there. And I'd definitely still encourage new and experienced devs alike to learn Python. One of the most broadly useful languages to have in your toolbox.
And I think it's probably the best first language for anyone just getting into programming. Being able to dip your toes in nearly everything with one language is an invaluable learning tool.

javinpaul • Apr 23 '19

Thanks for your comment Jason, I agree sutiability is more important.

Dennis Quesada Cruz • Apr 22 '19 • Edited

Or Black Hole photo proccesing hahaha. No, that was joking. In Cuba the official language in the university its Java, but im doing all in Python, regarthless my programming teacher say or the higher years friends.
I hope that in the future it will not be a problem for my day-to-day work. Or will be mandatory to exam in Java.

Daniel • Apr 24 '19

Languages are not like football teams, where you become a supporter of one of them, and you cheer it even when it's losing the game.

Knowing Java is excellent. Knowing Python is excellent. Any new language you learn will make you a better developer in the same way that knowing English and Spanish is better than knowing only English or Spanish.

javinpaul • Apr 23 '19

didn't know that Python was used there :-) Thanks for infomraiton.

leob • Apr 23 '19

Hm I don't know, if you're not into data science then the argument already becomes less convincing ...

If you want to script/automate stuff, or do web development, then Ruby is also a good alternative, and Javascript is arguably THE most popular web/fullstack language. And what about newer languages like Go or Rust? Learning them will give you power and speed and you're learning something truly new and different.

Data science, yes you'd want to learn Python but learning data science will cost you a lot more time than learning Python does.

Joshua Mervine • Apr 22 '19

Excellent and well thought out post. TBH I'm not a fan of either Java or Python and would recommend Go and Ruby respectively over the two.

However, I do agree that every programmer or engineer of any kind (System, Networking, etc.) should be able to write Python, given that it's native on all (AFAIK) *nix systems and readily available for quick automation tasks.

javinpaul • Apr 23 '19

Thank you Joshua, appreciate your comment.

Jesse Phillips • Apr 23 '19

I learned Python in my college's operating systems class. I hate the language but the one take away was it had the best control of processes pipes. Luckily for me someone made a better one in D and I've happily avoided working with python.

Andrew Stetsenko • Apr 23 '19

Nice article! I think Data Science is the main reason for Python's popularity and high demand. I've checked out your recent post about the highest paid technology jobs and the top 3 positions are for Data Scientists. Seems like this tendency is not going to reduce in the closest future.