You may have heard about Python and how it has become one of the most popular programming languages ​​today. It is used by everyone, from web developers to data scientists, and increasingly even ordinary people. It has even become an essential part of the curricula for students in some countries!

Could Python be useful to you, too? If you are interested in automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, making data-driven decisions to outperform your competitors, or simply learning a highly profitable skill (a Python developer can earn a six-figure salary!) - the answer is (yes) all of these things are possible with Python .

Advantages of learning programming

To get a taste of the "sweetness" of the enlightened life of a programmer, I advise you to watch the video " You Must Learn Programming " by entrepreneur Christian Genko. It's sure to pique your interest in programming, especially if you're like, "You want to maximize your laziness!".

• You may not have even thought of learning programming, let alone choosing a specific programming language to master.

• Maybe you didn't feel programming was easy for you, or you didn't realize how it could help you.

So, what do you think if we take a look at how the Python programming language solves these two problems?

If you run a small business or work as a freelancer , chances are that you deal with data and code in one form or another, whether it's building websites or tracking customer details (two aspects where knowing the basics of programming can help).
Learning to code can also help increase your productivity. For example, automating a time-consuming process (such as fetching data from a website to add to an Excel file ) using a little bit of code rather than spending a lot of time doing this process manually.

Learning to code can also be a lucrative career option . According to Indeed , the average annual salary for a Python developer in the US during 2021 is $109,660 . This is a good return on the time invested in learning programming.

I guess you are now convinced that you need to learn programming, right?
So let's talk about Python.

An overview of the Python programming language

It was created by Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum in 1991 and takes its name from his favorite comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus .

Van Rossum chose it to be open source. This means that anyone can develop them as they wish. This helped increase its spread and expand its programming libraries, to become one of the languages ​​that are promoted today, and used by many people. According to research by Statista , (Python) has been the most popular programming language for several years. Why? Well, as far as programming languages ​​are concerned, Python is an "all use" language.

Why is Python so popular?

Python isn't just for big companies. Let's take a more in-depth look at why ordinary people choose Python over other programming languages.

• Ease of use: Python is known as one of the easiest languages ​​to learn and read. Van Rossum wanted Python to be as intelligible as plain English. This makes the language easy to read. In addition, Python has a more straightforward structure that does not require many lines of code - such as C or Java - to get standard results.
  
  For example, compare these two codes, both of which display "Hello, World!" on the screen. Python code is shorter and does not require complex syntax.

Python libraries galore: Whatever you'd like to do, there's a good chance someone has already written code to do it (or at least explained how to code).
Python libraries offer many useful (software) that eliminate the need to write common functions from scratch. Just like going to a real library, visiting code libraries provides a wealth of knowledge. There are over 137,000 Python libraries to work with today.

Suppose you are considering programming for specific actions such as Web scraping. In this case, it is likely that there is already a relevant Python library that can perform these actions without having to write new code.

In short, Python is easy to learn, use, and read, and you can use it for just about anything.

Popular sites and platforms that use Python

Python's flexibility and simplicity have inspired all kinds of popular brands and services. It is preferred by academics for data processing, and large companies such as Google, Dropbox and Instagram rely on it to a large extent. Just take a look at the following list (which is not even comprehensive).

• Spotify has redefined music streaming with its smart playlist and radio channel discovery service. Thanks to the insights of classified data using Python.

• Citigroup, one of the largest US financial services companies, trains its  analysts on  the operating system module in Python to make valuable risk assessments from algorithmic trading models.

• Python is used to analyze data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN's Particle Physics Laboratory. 

• Uber uses Python to drive rides and leverages Python-based machine learning and Data Science frameworks to build algorithms that quickly connect drivers with riders.

• Netflix uses Python to make sure that movies are streamed without interruption.

• Even your Google Assistant runs on Python through Natural Language Processing technology .

As you can see, Python is used in just about everything, from music services to finance, data analytics, and more. It can be said that it is dominant in almost all areas.

"And what do I have to do with companies?! Just tell me how can Python be useful to me?"

Let's be realistic. Most readers of today's article are not looking forward to the next Hadron Collider running! correct? So we'll need some practical examples of how Python can improve your work practices or your life in general. So come on.

Amazing things you can do with Python

Software developers Rupa Dachere and Akkana say: 

“You can automate your home using Python, and connect sensors to it. So, for example, you can open and close the blinds or turn on the lights automatically when you enter the room.”

Of course, Reddit has a dedicated Python thread and sub-community called " What boring stuff do you automate? " with plenty of great apps. There, you will find some interesting comments. For example, someone simply wanted to let his wife know when he was coming home.

“I have a simple script that uses the GPS in my phone to calculate the nearest train station on my way home from work and text my wife with an ETA.”

Then we have the developer who never wanted to miss out on fresh, hot coffee.

 “For several years, we have had a chatbot in the company that monitors the power consumption of the coffee maker. If it sees a power surge for 8 minutes or so, it will detect that the coffee has brewed and thus send an alert to everyone about the coffee that is ready.”

These are just a few examples of the cool things you can do with Python.

How Python can help you better manage your business

 Besides having a lazy life and enjoying some coding, people use Python to level up their work habits. How can you use Python to make work more fun and get an edge over your competition? Again, let's look at some real examples.

Data Analytics

Thanks to the Internet, and especially the Internet of Things "IoT", we have access to an unlimited data flow. How do we make it useful to us? Via Analytics of course!

Analytics helps us understand the trend, what our customers are talking about and their behavior patterns. Incorporating some quality statistics into your strategic decisions provides a competitive advantage for your small business. You can also find the trend in your industry or your local site on social media. Any data you come across, you can analyze it to see patterns.

Twitter is a great place to mine, there is a lot to extract in order to gain opinion on all kinds of topics. To extract Twitter data and analyze your customers' opinions, you will have to:

• Register an app with Twitter to access its streaming API .

• Use a Tweepy -style tool to filter out the tweets you want to pull.

• And a tool like TextBlob to measure engagement with tweets.

• Place the Tweet within Elasticsearch for content analysis.

• Finally, use Kibana to display the results as images.

Machine learning

Most people see machine learning as a kind of obscure art that is difficult for them to work with. In fact, any of us can make use of the Python libraries where the hard code has already been written. Here are some examples:

• Time series analysis and forecasting. Using this approach, companies can predict data patterns and many other phenomena to make better business decisions. Thus, you can estimate costs and forecast sales and expected profits. The sustainability of companies depends on the accuracy of such forecasts.
  For example, retailers can use it to forecast daily sale volumes to ensure they have enough inventory. Financial traders use it to predict stock prices to make better investment decisions, and agricultural workers use it to forecast weather to guide their decisions about planting and harvesting.
  
  

• Identify trends and patterns. If you're running a small business, you'll likely have a sales history, another with your customers' details, sales transactions, volumes, etc. Thus, with some code, you can create a record of planning the purchasing patterns of your customers.
  
  

• Increase efficiency. Through machine learning, small businesses can become more efficient, which ultimately saves money and helps them grow. It can also reduce workload : For example, by using machine learning technology, you can recommend additional products to customers browsing your website, based on what is in their shopping cart, and promote the sale of additional products.
  
  

• Enhance your marketing efforts. According to Limor Goldhaber of Towards Data Science , "Attempting to create a successful marketing campaign without data is like trying to hit a 'piñata' when you're blindfolded!"

With Python, you can perform targeted market analysis, uncover growth opportunities, create retention models, and precisely define user segments.

Practically any procedure that takes a lot of time, money, or even error-prone can benefit from Python. Likewise, if you make any decisions that require data collection, you can do so with the help of Python.

How can you start learning Python?

It's best to understand how to install Python first, which includes choosing a text editor to write the code, and then you can browse the following online learning resources:

• Courses:  It is our complementary platform , and it provides several free, high-quality courses:  Basics of Python programming - Programming in Python  - Basics of Python  and others.

• Codecademy (free or paid courses included): Codecademy  is  a good starting point for learning what programming is and what it looks like.

• Applications: The  diversity of programming learning applications today is really incredible! There are so many, you just have to figure out which style suits you best.

• To get ideas and learn how to use Python more effectively in a business environment, try Practical Business Python . Or get inspired with great project ideas with Real Python .

• Apply some of your basic knowledge and concepts with Automate the Boring Stuff . This great blog teaches you how to effortlessly automate and work through all aspects of your life.

• The Learn Python the right way blog is based on  the idea of ​​blending learning the basics with building interesting things. Thus, you can explore the "real pleasure" of how Python works by creating real-world projects based on your interests.

finally

Python is a beginner-friendly programming language that will take you a little further, especially if you take advantage of the wealth of libraries available.

We recommend that you start small, follow a beginners course to learn basic concepts, and then choose some projects that interest you to solve some of your own problems.

As we've reviewed in this article, Python is key to cutting hours of your monthly administrative tasks, and unlocking profitable decisions, based on data, not gut feeling. Once you realize these benefits, you will feel motivated to continue learning and enjoying Python.

Are you interested in learning Python or are you already using it in your work? We would be glad to know all about your relationship with programming in the comments.