How to Become a Python Developer: Top Skills to Learn
Python is an easy-to-use, readable, and intuitive programming language. Over the past few years, Python has transitioned from "the language for beginners" to a development language of choice. It is the most widely used language globally, according to the TIOBE index. Why? Because it's simple, versatile, and, above all, very useful. It is used by companies of all sizes and services, while professionals at all levels swear by Python to build intuitive web applications. So if these pointers have you hooked and you are keen to know how to become Python Developer, we have you covered. Read on!
Eligibility to Become a Python Developer
It should be noted that there is no specific educational qualification required to work as a Python Developer. However, what you would need are certain must-have skills to kickstart your career.
| Criteria |
Details |
| Minimum Qualification |
No formal degree required |
| Preferred Degree |
|
| Who Can Learn Python |
Anyone from any educational background, but with a flair for mastering Python. |
| Core Skills Required |
Python programming, data structures & algorithms, OOP, file handling, etc. |
| Experience Requirement |
Not mandatory. However, internships, projects, or GitHub contributions can help you. |
Core Skills for Python Developers
As a Python programmer, you need certain specific skills that we have discussed below in detail.
Python Fundamentals
Python is simple and easy to learn. You must master some essential basics of Python:
| Concept |
Description |
| Variables and data types to classify items |
Integers, tuples, strings, lists, floats, dictionaries, sets |
| Control structures |
|
| Functions and modular code |
Defining reusable code blocks for organisational purposes |
| Reading and writing txt, csv, and json files |
|
| Error handling |
Try, except, and finally blocks to handle errors, also known as exceptions |
2. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)
OOP principles keep code clean and reusable, making it easier to organise your projects in a professional way. The most important concepts that you should learn about are:
- Classes and objects: Creating object blueprints.
- Inheritance & polymorphism: Reusing and extending code efficiently.
- Encapsulation & abstraction: Hiding the internal code structures and concealing their complexity.
3. Web Development with Python
Python provides robust frameworks for creating websites and web applications. Top ones being:
| Framework |
Description |
|
|
|
|
| Web service interface design with Django REST Framework or FastAPI |
|
| Database management |
Data storage and retrieval using SQLAlchemy or Django ORM |
| Web security basics |
Security against SQL injection and Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) |
| FastAPI |
High-performance API framework |
| Pyramid |
Flexible, scalable web framework |
| CherryPy |
Minimalistic web server framework |
| Web2Py |
Full-stack web framework |
| Tornado |
Asynchronous networking framework |
| SQLAlchemy |
Python SQL toolkit and ORM |
4. Data Science and Machine Learning
Python is the top programming language for data science and analytical domains. If you wish to pursue a career with a specialization in data science, AI, analytics or research, it would be an excellent idea to learn the following Python libraries:
| Python library |
Task |
| Numerical computing |
|
| Data manipulation & analysis |
|
| Matplotlib and Seaborn |
Data visualization |
| Machine learning models & algorithms |
|
| Deep learning projects |
|
| SciPy |
Scientific and technical computing |
| Plotly and Bokeh |
Interactive data visualization |
| Keras |
High-level neural networks API for deep learning |
5. Automation and Scripting
Python is extensively employed for automating boring tasks, thus increasing efficiency. You can write scripts to:
- Automatically rename or relocate files
- Web scraping using tools like Beautiful Soup, Scrapy or Selenium
- Talk to APIs to retrieve or process information
- Schedule system jobs or monitor logs
6. Version Control with Git
Python developers employ version control to track changes and collaborate with other developers. Git, being a distributed version control system, is the most popular and almost an industry standard for managing source code. To manage Python projects, learn to:
- Create and manipulate repositories
- Basic Committing, Branching and Merging
- Use GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Bitbucket for collaboration
7. Virtual Environments
Python projects usually utilize various libraries and versions. To avoid version conflicts and keep our projects completely isolated from each other, a virtual environment is very helpful. Learn to employ:
- venv or virtualenv: to keep project dependencies isolated.
- pip or poetry: to handle installations and packages.
8. Soft Skills
Apart from learning technical stuff, you must also work on:
- Communication skills
- Logic building
- Problem-solving
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Time management and organization
- Critical thinking
- Willingness to learn
- Openness to feedback
- Task and project management
- Empathy and active listening