What You Need to Know About Programming Languages: Python

Python emerged as a programming language in 1991 and has been rapidly growing in popularity ever since. It is now one of the most in-demand and highest paid programming languages in the United States. Google has even made Python one of its official programming languages. It is a high-level general-purpose language that can be used for both web applications and programs. It is relatively easy for beginners to pick up, as long as they have a strong foundation in programming and computer science concepts.

Beginner Friendly

One of the great things about Python is that it is relatively straightforward. It was created to be very easy to understand and use. There is also a sense of fun about the company and the language; it was named after Monty Python and, if you follow through with the Python programming tutorials, you’ll find many Monty Python references. If you are just starting out with learning to program and you are trying to figure out what language to learn, Python is a great option. In fact, it has become the top introductory language at U.S. universities.

One of the great things about Python is that it is written in high-level English, so the code is easy to read. You won’t have to learn a lot of syntax like you would with other languages. This makes it easy to focus on different programming concepts rather than trying to memorize syntax codes.

Community

There is an extensive online community focused around the Python programming language. This is very important because then you will have plenty of avenues for getting answers to any questions you may have. For example, if you head over to Stack Overflow, you’ll find over 1,000,000 Python questions and answers. There are over 90,000 members in the Python board so, if you have questions about your code or about programming with Python, there are plenty of people willing to help you out.

Python is also the 4^th most used language at GitHub. GitHub is a site where people post their programming projects. If you are trying to create something specific with Python, there is a good chance you will find a similar project on GitHub. You’ll be able to see the code that someone else has created and learn from it.  

Extensive Support Libraries

One of the most valuable aspects of Python is the fact that it comes with a very large support library. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as a “batteries-included” programming language. Often, you will be able to search through the library and find pre-written code to use in your application. The libraries have most of the commonly used programming tasks included so you will be able to just import code from these libraries. This not only saves time, but it can prevent you from having errors in your code.

Cons

There are some downsides to Python, as with any programming language. Currently, Python remains relatively weak in terms of mobile developing. There is Kivy, a platform that helps create mobile applications for Android and iOS with Python and, while it works well enough, there are other languages that are more mobile friendly and have better support for mobile programming.

The other issue with Python is that is can be slower than other languages. For some web applications, it can move relatively quickly but, for other types of applications, it can run slower. The reason for this is that Python works with an interpreter instead of a compiler. Python is very flexible, which can be a benefit for programming but, when it comes to running the program, the machine has to do a lot of referencing to understand what something means.

If you are thinking about learning Python but feel a bit overwhelmed, you might want to try a coding bootcamp. A bootcamp, like the one mentioned here, can help you quickly learn Python so that you can add it to your resume.