Why so few Python jobs?

[Hans Nowak]

On 23 Sep 01, at 17:14, tszeto wrote:

> I looked into Python in 1998 and think it's great. I've also read glowing
> reviews about the language. But I remember searching Python on Dice.com in
> 1998 and coming up with 8 results. Today the results are about 90. Even
> though that's over a 11 fold increase, compared to Perl, it's really
> nothing.
> 
> Any ideas on why so few Python jobs are available?
> 
> Thanks,
> Ted

This probably doesn't apply for all software shops, but my experiences are the 
following:

1. They don't know Python exists. This is mostly due to the fact that 
everybody's eyes are looking at M$ (and, to a lesser extent, Inprise/Borland). 

2. If they are confronted with Python, people (in the shops mentioned above) 
often reject it, based on bogus reasons. The one I heard was "it's not 
maintainable", meaning that the (short) Python scripts I wrote could not be 
maintained once I had left. Of course this is a blasphemy in front of the Snake 
-- calling Python unmaintainable. I guess they presume that anyone would have 
to study for months (or years) to become even slightly proficient with the 
language. (Of course, this same argument suddenly becomes irrelevant when M$ 
pulls out something new... then everybody is willing to learn. <frown>)

That was a manager's response, but developers are reluctant too, e.g. because 
they consider it a "toy" language, and/or because it's interpreted. They 
probably think it's like the old GWBasic they used, or it's general prejudice, 
like "it cannot be any good if it's not compiled". 

I suspect that many people don't use Python for these reasons. There's not much 
one can do against prejudice. :(

Veel liefs,

--Hans Nowak (zephyrfalcon at hvision.nl)
You call me a masterless man. You are wrong. I am my own master.
http://www.pythonic-delights.com