Is it worth learning python?

[Chris Lamb]

Raphael,

Gerhard's advice is very good, indeed.

I would also emphasise learning a couple of other languages since they 
all use these basic concepts but often with differing "ways" of doing 
it. Java is a good combination with Python imho. Between them there is a 
wealth of functionality.

Also, try to have fun and learn by developing things you would love to 
use yourself, makes learning much easier!

Best wishes

Chris

Gerhard Häring wrote:
> Raphael Ribeiro wrote:
> 
>>I wanna start learning some real programming language (I know now only
>>Visual Basic , but i don't find it interesting, sorry for the vb
>>programmers, but this is my opinion).
> 
> 
> Understandable :-)
> 
> 
>>And I was reading some docs, which were talking about lots of programming
>>languages, I saw there Python, and took a look at some python sites. I
>>saw some snippets and read some docs and liked the language a lot. But I
>>don't know if this language is well-accepted in the market and if having
>>a good python knowledge would give me a good job.
> 
> 
> As for the job market, Python isn't among the buzzwords that you'll find in
> job descriptions most of the time. But software development isn't that much
> about particular technologies, the important part is learning concepts. If
> you learn Python, you won't be able to avoid learning (at least):
> 
> - Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
> - Procedural Programming
> 
> There's a lot more concepts that you can learn while using Python, as you
> advance a little more:
> 
> - Functional Programming
> - Test Driven Development
> - Dividing software into components
> 
> 
>>I am only 17 and I'm only making plans, so if you have any suggestions
>>tell me.
> 
> 
> Ok, I'll try :-)
> 
> Learn concepts, not tools. At least in the long run, this will make you
> more attractive to employers who have a clue about what's important in the
> software industry.
> 
> There are some more skills that are especially important:
> 
> - Team work: dividing up tasks. Defining the interfaces up front to avoid
>   blocking other team members who wait for you. Using a source code control
>   system [1]
> 
> - Communication/efficient problem solving: not trying yourself for days to
>   solve a problem that could be solved a lot more efficiently by calling
>   the client or writing an email - I've had problems with this myself in
>   the past, I guess that's not an uncommon problem for developers.
> 
> - Software reliability: that's a difficult one. IMO experience,
>   concentration, unit tests, and always trying to improve on yourself help
>   you achieve it.
> 
> [1] If you have some spare time you can learn that by joining an Open
> Source project.