Future-Proofing My Career: Embracing Python as a Non-Developer

Before we start, let me clarify what I mean by career. I don’t just mean moving up the corporate ladder or pursuing a specific job. In a broader sense, it encompasses how I earn a living while balancing my time, engaging in meaningful activities, personal growth, and finding happiness in my pursuits. I could easily dedicate an entire blog post, or perhaps even five, solely to this topic. Who knows, maybe I'll do just that in the future.

So with that out of the way, let's jump right in.

My Journey into Coding and Tech

I've always been drawn to the world of coding, a fascination sparked by my dad's early love for computers. Back then, I dabbled in languages like C++, flipping through hefty coding books and absorbing school lessons. But, truth be told, I never quite dove in wholeheartedly.

Life had other plans, leading me into finance and management. But even there, coding stayed by my side. My secret weapon for propelling my career to new heights multiple times was a profound fascination with tools like VBA for Excel, SQL for Access, and later, the captivating Qlik Script in Qlik Sense for Business Intelligence, among other skills, of course. These skills were more than just tools; they were accelerants, allowing me to speed up and automate processes and do sheer magic with data analytics. As you can imagine, this can be quite advantageous if you work in finance.

Python's Relevance in Today's Tech Landscape

However, the tech landscape has undergone a substantial shift, primarily driven by the ascent of artificial intelligence. It's no longer just about my profession; it's about staying ahead in a quickly changing world—AI, data science, machine learning, and even the mysteries of Web3 all have the potential to revolutionize our society. Or so I believe. I really want to be part of this, not just a spectator on the sidelines. Python and coding in general are core parts of this.

Python is steadily gaining importance for a multitude of skills that will be highly sought-after in the future. And, personally, I've always found joy in coding. There is so much satisfaction in solving these coding puzzles and building something new that helps me or a colleague and makes our job easier. I just want to be able to build “more”.

Compelling Reasons to learn Python

So those are my personal motivations for wanting to learn Python. Now I'll offer you the practical and straightforward reasons why learning Python makes a lot of sense for almost everyone.

1. Open Source: Yes, you read that correctly. Python is not only powerful but also free to use. Besides that, this means that it is very accessible to many which again can only boost innovation.
2. Simplicity and Ease of Learning: Python consistently tops the list of best programming languages for beginners. This sentiment is echoed throughout the coding community. The whole program was created with the focus on a clear and easy-to-read syntax. This user-friendliness should make it ideal for anyone starting out in coding.
3. Versatility: Python is a multi-purpose language that can be used for very very many things. These include web development, data analysis, scientific computing, and more, as I'll detail in a dedicated bullet point below. Somewhere I read that it's like a Swiss army knife for coding. It also comes with an extremely wide range of libraries which you can imagine as tool boxes filled with tools that help you make your coding tasks easier and faster and help bolster the versatility further.
4. Community and Support: In my coding journey, I've realized the immense worth of an engaged developer community. It's invaluable for seeking assistance through forums, guides, and open-source initiatives. Python has a vast and active community of developers. This means that in addition to a wide range of free courses, you'll find many helpful resources, which will make learning, problem-solving, and development faster and easier.
5. Automation: We are getting to the best parts of it. Python is supposed to be excellent for automating repetitive tasks, making it a valuable tool for ... well, essentially anyone looking to streamline their work.
6. And here comes the real deal: Machine Learning! Python reigns supreme as the language of choice for data science and machine learning. AI is all over the place. I don't think it is just a hype. It is here to stay. If you're interested in these fields, Python is a must-learn.

Considering the Path Forward

You can find so many more reasons to learn Python if you search for it. Essentially, Python stands as an exceptionally popular language, with its influence steadily expanding. This trend positions it as a wise investment, guaranteeing relevance and high demand in the future job market. For instance, while composing this article, I discovered that Microsoft has integrated Python in Excel. This directly aligns with my job needs right from the outset.

Now, you might be wondering - "Why undergo all this effort? Learning Python seems like a monumental task. The time investment is substantial, and some might argue it could become obsolete due to the ongoing surge of AI. It's speculated that, eventually, anyone will be able to code without formal programming skills, thanks to the proliferation of low-code and no-code software. This trend is already evident and continually improving. And besides - there are newer and better programming languages for what you want to do."

So you are not convinced. That is ok. The main reason I wrote this was to convince myself. I believe that for every larger goal you set yourself, you have to really sit down and think it through. If you can't come up with good reasons why you want to achieve the goal, better don't even start. It will be frustrating and slow at times. If I need a fresh motivation boost, I can go back here and re-read my intentions.

Or you might think - "Hey, what a great idea. Thank you for this article. I will seriously consider learning Python myself." Well, you're still here reading. Hehe! So - same advice. Take a moment to sit down and contemplate. Craft your own set of reasons to truly confirm that this goal is tailored to YOU. And if it is, be sure to return here as I'll be sharing my insights and my ongoing approach to learning Python.

Either way and even if you have a completely different opinion about this - I would be delighted to hear it and maybe to discuss the matter further, so please feel very welcome to leave a comment or feedback.

Thanks for reading. Until next time!

J.D.

© 2023 | J.D. | Let's Learn, Code, and Thrive!