How to Become a Python Back-end Developer

A few years ago, I dove into Python with the goal of becoming a back-end developer. But, the vast array of online tutorials and courses felt overwhelming. If you’re in the same boat, aspiring to be a Python back-end developer, fear not! This article is here to guide you with tips and resources, and it’s tailored to be beginner-friendly, avoiding excessive technical jargon.

If you are in a similar situation and you want to become a Python back-end developer, then keep calm and follow along with this article. I will try to help you to be successful in your journey to become a back-end Python developer by providing some tips and learning resources.

For those of you who are short on time, let me give you a quick summary before diving into the details:

How to become a Python back-end developer? To become a Python backend developer, first of all, you need to learn the fundamentals of the Python language. Then, you need to learn either Django or Flask, which are the web development frameworks of Python. You should learn some basic database management concepts. Also, you need to have a basic understanding of front-end technologies.

Now, let’s go ahead and understand each step in detail.

Learn the Basics of Python

I know this step is too obvious. Sorry for boring you if you already know Python and feel free to skip this. But I can’t go forward without mentioning this step because this article is aimed at beginners. Even if you don’t know the basics of Python, don’t worry. Because we are talking about one of the easiest programming languages in the world.

So, learn the fundamentals of the language. Now, how to learn Python? If you have less time, you can learn the basics within weeks by learning from video courses available online.

So, I will recommend a free video course for you, from where I learned Python. Check out the Learn Python Course from CleverProgrammer.com. This is a completely free course for absolute beginners which will teach you Python in just five days. Also, the instructor Rafeh Qazi is an awesome guy so that this will not be yet another boring course.

I have written an article on Python basics. You can check out my article here if you want a reference tutorial in a written format so that you can quickly check whenever you have some doubts. 

Now, if you are serious about learning Python, it is worth buying a good online course for learning the language deeply. If you are interested in buying a good but inexpensive Python course, click here to check out my recommendations for the best Udemy courses for Python programming.

Once you learn the syntax of the language and the fundamental programming concepts, then it is time to start web development.

Knowledge of Front-end Frameworks

If you have some knowledge about front-end web technologies, that will be very helpful while learning the back-end frameworks. You need to have a basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and a little bit of JavaScript. Most of the time, the back-end developer might require to deal with some front-end technologies as well.

At some companies, both the front-end and the back-end are handled by the same developer. They are often called full-stack developers. So, if you master the front-end technologies along with the back-end technologies, you can become a full stack developer and you will have a lot more career opportunities.

If you want to learn more about front-end technologies, check out the article I’ve written on How To Become A Front-End Web Developer.

Back-end Frameworks in Python

There are mainly two Python back-end frameworks for web development. They are Django and Flask. You can pick up any one of them and use the framework for web development. Let me try to explain a bit about both of them.

Flask is a micro web framework of Python. It is so-called because it does not need particular tools or libraries. It is a very simple framework and you can learn it very easily compared to Django. If you want to learn Flask, check this YouTube playlist of Flask tutorials by TheNewBoston.

I suggest you first learn Flask and then move to Django. If you don’t want to learn Flask, then that is okay. You can directly learn Django. I recommend Django over Flask because Django is the most used Python web framework. Also, there are a lot of jobs available if you are a Django developer compared to jobs related to Flask. But, Flask is so simple. So, you can try it out as well.

Now, let’s talk a bit about Django. It is a free and open-source Python framework. It is a popular framework and even NASA uses it to do their projects. But learning Django is a bit more difficult to learn compared to Flask. It requires certain files to be placed in certain folders and certain rules to be followed while writing the code.

So, you need to do some projects to get better at Django. At first, It may seem overwhelming but after doing some projects and gaining some experience, you will become better at it.

While doing back-end development, you need to deal with the database as well. So, it is important to learn any one of the database technologies like MySQL, MongoDB, Postgresql, Sqlite3, etc. Most of the Django courses teach database concepts as well.

Your first project in Django probably will use sqlite3.  Sqlite3 is a simple file-like database and most operating systems will support it. Later, you can move on to the more popular and complex databases.

One cool thing about Django is that you do not need to create an admin interface for your web application if you are using Django. Django has a built-in admin interface and you can use it for your projects. This is an important feature as it saves a lot of development time.

I have written an article to help you create your first-ever Django project. Check out that tutorial here. 

I didn’t find a good video course on Django at first. for me, it was all over the place and I didn’t know what to learn. then I found Python and Django Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp on Udemy. This is not a free course. You have to pay a little bit of money to get this course. However, it is worth an investment.

If you do not want a paid course, then check out this free Django video course by Justin Mitchell, who is the founder of Coding For Entrepreneurs. You can check out his YouTube channel for more Django tutorials.

Also, you can check out the Django Girls Tutorials, which is yet another very valuable free tutorial (in text format).

Learn Django from any of these resources or from anywhere else and build some cool projects. Create a portfolio of your projects and put your code on platforms like GitHub (you can try GitLab if you hate Microsoft).

Once you become confident in Django, then it is time to apply for jobs. You can apply for a Python back-end developer position at various companies. You can go to your favorite company’s website and check their careers page to see if there are any open positions available for a Django developer.

Also, if you like to work for yourself and not for a company, you can become a Python freelancer. Go to popular platforms like Upwork and Freelancer and create your profile there.

There are plenty of jobs available online on these platforms so that you can apply for them and land your clients. Then, you can be flexible in terms of your job location and timings. You can charge these clients at an hourly rate. An average Python freelancer earns more than 50$ per hour.

You can also work as a consultant and charge a lot more hourly rate when you become an expert in your field. There is an ocean of opportunities and the possibilities are endless. So start your learning journey right now!

If you have any doubts regarding this article, feel free to ask your queries in the comments section. I will be happy to help you.

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