Is Python Enough to Get a Job?

Python is one of the most popular programming languages out there currently. Most beginners start their journey in programming with Python as their first language.

But is knowing Python enough to get a software development job? In this article, I’ll share my two cents on this topic. Let’s dive right in.

Is Python Enough to Get a Job?

If you want me to answer this question directly with a yes or a no, I would say “no”. Knowing the fundamentals or syntax of Python is not enough to get a job. Employers will look for several other qualities or skills, such as problem-solving skills, communication skills, willingness to learn new tools/technologies, breadth of knowledge in technology, etc. while hiring an employee.

Due to the popularity of Python and its various use cases, Python is taught as an introductory programming language in colleges and schools. Apart from that, several people who are self-taught programmers also start with Python. Hence, the majority of the people who are entering the job market know Python. If all the people applying for jobs know Python, you need to have some extra skills to stand out from the crowd.

Does it mean that nobody is getting jobs with only the fundamentals of Python? No. There could be people who get hired based on the sole reason that they know Python. But I’m trying to answer this question from a general perspective. In general, if you do not have some additional skills along with Python, your chances of getting a good job are less.

So your obvious next question would be: “what are some additional skills I can develop to increase my chances of getting a Python developer job?”. Let me share my thoughts on that.

What Are the Skills Required for Getting a Python Developer Job?

Let’s look at some essential skills that you need to have to get a good Python developer job.

Technical Skills

It is obvious that you need to be technically strong to get a developer role in a good company. You need to know the fundamentals of Python for solving problems.

Based on the type of role you are looking for, you can stack additional technical skills on top of Python. For example, if you want to become a Python web developer, you need to know a Python framework (either Flask or Django) and the basics of front-end web development (HTML, CSS, and JS). You must also learn a little bit about SQL and databases. 

If you want to get into the data science arena, you can learn how to use the data science libraries like numpy, pandas, matplotlib, scikit-learn, keras, tensorflow, etc., and some math skills.

I have mentioned the above skills just as examples. The best way to stack skills is to look for job descriptions of various companies. Just do some research and find out the skills that the companies are looking for in employees. Try to add those things to your skillset.

Having a breadth of knowledge about the overall tech field would be great. You don’t need to be an expert on all programming languages or frameworks. Let’s say someone asks you, “What is Angular.js?”. You must be able to tell them that it is a JavaScript front-end web development framework even if you haven’t written a single line of code in Angular.js.

Gradually increase your depth of knowledge in Python and breadth in other technologies. You can follow a “T-shaped” learning path where you go deep into one technology to master it and know the basics of other technologies.

Problem-Solving Skills

The main job of any programmer is to solve problems, doesn’t matter what the language is. A programming language is just a tool to solve problems. You need to know how to use Python to solve the problems given in a job. You will learn the art of problem-solving only by practice.

Create some projects or applications by yourself. You can choose any problem that you want to solve. If you don’t have any ideas for an app, then create a clone of an existing app. To improve your coding skills, you can go to platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, etc., and practice solving coding questions.

When you build an application or solve a coding problem, you will often get several errors. Try to debug the errors and use the Internet for help. Whenever you get stuck, you can search online and find out solutions from the Internet.

Almost all programmers use websites like StackOverflow and other sites for reference whenever they get stuck. In programming, searching about problems online and finding out the correct solutions is a must-have skill. The more you code, the better your problem-solving skills become. So keep coding!

Soft Skills

Software developers often do not care much about improving their soft skills. But soft skills are really important for your career. So along with your technical skills, try to develop some essential soft skills.

Communications skills are something that you should develop as a software developer. When you work in a job, you will be dealing with your clients, team members, managers, etc., and you should be able to communicate with them properly. 

There are many other essential soft skills that you can develop, like negotiation skills, marketing, personal branding, etc. I would recommend a book for developing your soft skills: “Soft Skills: The Software Developer’s Life Manual“ by John Sonmez. It is a must-read for all the software developers out there. The same author has also published another book called “The Complete Software Developer’s Career Guide“, another absolute gem. Get the paperback versions of these books or listen to the audio versions on audible.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article has helped you in some way. Consider the things that I have mentioned in this article and keep on applying for jobs. You don’t need to wait till you have all the skills in the world. If you have the essential skills, you can start applying for jobs and fake some of the remaining skills if needed.

If you have a mindset for continuous learning and improvement, you will definitely succeed in your career. If you have read this article thus far, that proves that you have the mindset and willingness to learn. Keep learning and become a small percent better every day. Thanks for reading!