Isn’t it time to think about a new profession?

The pandemic and the quarantine that followed led to the fact that the population of entire countries was, in fact, locked in their apartments, and tens of thousands of businesses went bankrupt, leaving millions of people without jobs.

If we discard the sentiments, rationally assess what happened, and try to draw conclusions (not on a global, but on a personal level), then it becomes obvious that first of all it is worth thinking about how to save income. It is likely that you are in luck and your company has managed to move to remote control.

However, the situation led to the fact that many companies either carried out layoffs or cut salaries. And sometimes both. So friends who worked in the office of one large airline remained on a salary cut by more than 2 times. A couple of comrades directly involved with aircraft maintenance were sent on unpaid leave. The economists I knew of an oil and gas company learned that this year they will be left without bonuses, which are usually mandatory and make up a significant part of income. And colleagues from marketing in the food industry on Friday were surprised to read a letter in which it was reported that their department was being laid off by several people, and salaries were being cut by 35%. By the way, the quarantine has ended, but the salary has not yet been raised to the previous level.

Someone indignantly resigned, others, crushed by the mortgage and small children, gritting their teeth, endure, severely saving on everything.

Different industries, different professions, but the situation is similar. In a crisis, companies are forced to cut costs as much as possible, leaving only vital expenses.

A rational solution in such a situation is either to become irreplaceable, or to find a new or additional profession that is in demand all over the world. Such that it was possible to work from anywhere and required minimal tools – a computer and the Internet.

News headlines don’t inspire

Today and in the future, when the digitalization of society will only intensify, web developers are becoming one of these in-demand specialists. Not everyone understands what a web developer does. A web developer not only creates new services and sites on his own, but is also a key player in the team, coordinating the actions of the front-end providers (they make a routine so that the sites look good on all devices, typeset the layout, polish the interface, etc.) and back-end providers (are responsible for collection, processing and transmission of data to the server). On the shoulders of a web developer is the obligation to study the task, choose a solution, distribute instructions to the rest of the team, after which he already writes the main code of the given site or web application.

However, the web developer is just the beginning of the journey. You can easily move onto the path of big data analysts, also called data scientists. It’s interesting that although web developers and data scientist seem to be different professions, they are similar, since they imply the presence of analytical thinking, the ability to think with algorithms and knowledge of universal programming languages. One of these languages ​​is Python.

Why exactly Python and why is the language so popular?

First, about how to pronounce. You can say both “Python” and “Python”. But it is still more correct “Python”, because the creator of the language called it that not because of his love for pythons, but in honor of the comedy TV show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. However, the pythons were not offended either. The language logo represents two pythons.

Python is a general-purpose high-level programming language, which means it is versatile and can be used for almost any task. This is what can be considered the basis of its popularity. Every day, one way or another, you come across products written in Python.

Not everyone knows, but even the very first Google search box was written in Python. However, even today Python remains one of the main languages ​​in Google. The company has a rule to use Python wherever possible (otherwise C ++).

Another prime example of the use of “python” is Instagram. They use Python and Spotify, and Netflix, and Facebook. Rather, you should not list those who use, but look for those who do not. By the way, an interesting fact. Nokia used Python for its best classic operating system, the S60.

Perhaps the main reason for its popularity is the relative ease of the language. As a high-level language, Python allows you to operate with semantic concepts. That is, instead of thoroughly prescribing all the variables and each step, memorizing complex syntax, you can use general commands that are understandable from the school English course – print, check, type, if, else, except. As a result, Python code is 3-5 times shorter than, for example, C ++ or Java code. Because of its simplicity, Python is called the programming language of the future. Although this statement provokes a wave of controversy.

Compare the number of terms in Python and in C # in similar tasks (by clicking the picture will open in a new tab)

Of course, the profession of a web developer presupposes knowledge of more than just Python. It is also useful to know JavaScript, frameworks (one of the most common is Django). It is important to be able to work with virtual machines, use containerization, and be able to test applications. Another point is that Python is still key knowledge and allows you to change specialization, for example, go from web developers directly to programmers.

It might seem like Python is the direct path to programmers, which is certainly true. However, due to the versatility of the language, the number of professions and areas of application is much greater. In fact, Python is applicable wherever you need to either automate something, or create a web application, or work through large amounts of data. And with the ever-increasing digitalization of the world, big amounts of data are now everywhere, from sales to journalism.

Today, Python is increasingly needed by both basic analysts and more advanced analysts, who are also called data scientists. Analysts and data scientists are needed across all industries. However, the banking sector can be distinguished separately. The largest world and Russian banks are experiencing a shortage of financial and investment analysts who, in addition to commonplace Excel, also know Python. It is interesting that some banks (for example, Citigroup) now require knowledge of Python even for basic analytical positions.

Another specialty where Python is needed is DevOps. DevOps is short for Development Operations. In fact, this is a manager who should be the liaison between the developers and those who plan to exploit the code. The task of DevOps engineers is to automate this process.

Needed “Python” and web developers who design and create sites. A web developer, according to research, is one of the most in-demand professions where knowledge of Python is required. The attractiveness of the profession also lies in the fact that there is a fairly low entry threshold and it is relatively easy for beginners to find work.

How much do web developers who know Python get paid?

Perhaps the most interesting and burning question. It all depends on the qualifications. For example, if you look at courses on the Internet, then here is a proposal to make a “strong” junior-specialist in web development in Python. That is, after such a course, you can apply for places where 1-2 years of experience are required.

Along the way, it is important to consider the general prospects. For example, in 2015, a junior specialist with 1-2 years of experience could count on a median salary of 60 thousand rubles in Moscow. According to HeadHunter, today a specialist with similar experience receives 100-120 thousand rubles.

If we talk about advanced specialists, then the conversation starts from 180 thousand rubles. But when it comes to senior developers, keep in mind that Python allows you to look for work abroad as well. For example, in Germany, the payment of a qualified entry-level specialist starts at 3 euros, that is, 400 rubles. An ordinary developer earns 300 euros per year. And working remotely, it is quite good to live in Russia on a German salary.

Speaking of income, it’s important to note that there is a fairly high demand for freelance developers. The development of basic small projects – to think over a bot for Telegram, to help create a form for processing data – is estimated at 3-7 thousand rubles. This can be used for side earnings, and to build a portfolio of projects.

In my opinion, Python is only the first step. Having mastered the language, you can already apply for the position of data scientist. And for them, the average salary level only starts from 170 thousand rubles. Advanced specialists receive over 250 rubles.

Men ask python not to quit

Who can become a developer?

Probably the biggest obstacle to even theoretically considering learning Python is the idea that this is all for advanced techies and beyond the grasp of the humanities.

To be honest, I thought so too until I started studying the topic. It turned out that there are absolutely no obstacles here. I came across several interesting stories. Here are a couple of them. For example, here is the story of a girl with a degree in Foreign Regional Studies, who as of December 2019 worked as a junior developer at Yandex.Market. But this is a story of how to develop from a hobby into a programmer, since the girl learned not only Python, but also C ++. I was more interested in the story of Oksana Dereza, who managed to combine her interest in Celtic languages ​​and IT topics. Looking ahead, I must say that everything went well for her. She works at a research institute in Ireland, developing various models for language learning. However, read it yourself, this story can be easily found on Google. The story attracted me because my knowledge of Python helped me find such an unusual and interesting job related to both languages ​​and the profession of data scientist.

In fact, the main quality required to master Python is a well-formed analytical mind, which allows you to clearly formulate problems and reduce their solution to algorithms.

Should you learn new things in adulthood?

A separate point that should be touched upon is age. For some reason, it is believed that programming is a job for young people. Reality refutes this myth. A study was conducted on one of the job sites, and it turned out that developers over 30 years old occupied 50%. The share of 40-year-olds is about 30%. By the way, there is an interesting study, the Seattle Longitudinal Study, in which the cognitive abilities of 6000 thousand people were measured for decades. An unexpected conclusion is that in the range of 40-50 years, people have a higher learning ability than at 20 years of age. So if you want to find an excuse why it won’t work and you don’t need to waste time, then, unfortunately, age will not help here. Better to be honest and say bluntly that it’s just lazy.

How and where to study?

There are many Python tutorials. You can find it for every taste and wallet. Or you can study on your own. I don’t recommend the latter option though. If you look on the Internet, then in the stories from the series “How I tried, but I failed,” most often the story appears that he decided to study on his own. I read an illustrative example of such a text on Habré. It is interesting that the author does not give up his attempts and continues to try to master everything on his own, although at the end he himself writes: “Self-study is terribly ineffective. What you will be taught, for example, in six months, you will independently disassemble for two years. The ratio is something like this. You will have to find all sorts of little things, typical techniques and well-known pitfalls on your own, constantly reinvent the wheel. “

For this reason, it is optimal to find courses. However, the choice must be approached soberly. There are options where they promise that in a month you will master the profession. Too good to be true. In this regard, more intelligible programs are more credible. For example, when they give a clear list of what they will teach, they indicate adequate terms (in the example under the link, we are talking about 9 months with a breakdown, that in 4 months you will know this, after 9 months – such and such), as well as the level that needs possess initially, that is, it is important that it was prescribed that learning from scratch. An example of the correct wording of promises:

Conclusion

The main point of this material is that you should always have a contingency plan and additional sources of income. Knowledge of a programming language in the modern world is becoming as useful as knowledge of a foreign one. In terms of versatility and ease of learning, Python is a great choice to try. The breakdown into humanities and techies is artificial, as are age restrictions. In fact, the main quality you need to master Python is good analytical thinking, which allows you to articulate problems and reduce their solution to algorithms.

It is believed that the most effective option is to find courses. When choosing courses, one should choose those where they clearly prescribe what they will teach and for what period of time.

To try or not, everyone decides for himself. Still, moving forward is always better than standing still.

This text was written in partnership with the SkillFactory School, which specializes in Data Science Teaching, Machine Learning, Product Development and Management, Python.

This text is not a call to action. He should lead you to thinking about a backup plan. Perhaps your plan will not be related to IT at all. For those who are interested, there is a nice bonus. With the MOBILE promo code, a 30% discount on all SkillFactory courses is valid until March 45, so take a look at the catalog, there is plenty to choose from.

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