How to become a Python Developer?

Hey, did you scroll through your Instagram feed before reading this blog? Did you enjoy morning workout music on your favourite music app? Did you check your Facebook unread notifications and messages while having your breakfast?

Did you just use Google to learn about Python developer salaries in India?

Well, from our morning scrolls to late-night music nights we are surrounded by different applications. These applications run through a programming language. Python introduced its way into these amazing applications due to its flexibility, simplicity, and versatility. Many of your everyday apps like Spotify and Netflix are developed using Python.

Now you must know the significance of a Python programming language and a Python developer. Developers are basically running your world.

So, let’s get started on this blog on how to become a Python developer. We will discuss the skills required, job roles, responsibilities of a Python developer, the average salary of a Python developer, and all the questions that keep popping into your brain.

What is Python?

Python is a high-level programming language that is object-oriented and used to create different desktop apps, different systems, websites, and platforms. This language might not be the most popular in the techno world, but it surely is the first choice for freshers and beginners.

Also, Python is on the way to making its mark up on top. Python has the potential of making up to the 1st position which is historical, as for 20 years only Java and C have a hold on to that position.

Python is chosen by many programmers because it is:

• Simple
• Versatile
• Integrated Language
• In demand

Who is a Python Developer?

Python Developer is a part of a software team who skills in creating, designing, deploying computer applications, and different programs using the Python programming language. In addition to this, a python developer is also responsible for finding the errors (debugging) in the development projects created with Python.

The Python developer typically works with the back-end development (server-side) of an application. However, with the arrival of machine learning and data science, python developers do not limit their work to developing code and debugging errors but work with apps connection with third-party web services and helping out the front-end development team in bringing alive their features for the user interface.

Python is a great, simple programming language to start with. The developers with the versatility of Python works on many tasks like

• Web Development
• Scripting
• Design Web Frameworks for new codes
• Automation
• Deployment Services
• Data Analysis
• Web Scraping

Python developers can achieve a lot with a programming language as simple and versatile as Python. We will know about the detailed role of python developers in the sections below.

What is the demand for Python?

Every developer has their preferred programming language in which they feel comfortable. But sometimes despite their preference and the commonalities between programming languages, there are certain features that make it stand out from the rest.

There must a strong reason why top companies like Google, Netflix, Spotify, Pinterest use Python for their back-end services. In comparison to other back-end languages, Python has the following features it favors.

• Python in comparison to Ruby is known for its simplicity and technology.
• Java is not as dynamic (the language that supports modifications and variations in the structure of the code at run time rather than only during compilation) as Python
• Python has a better working with machine learning projects
• Python gives more room for readability and flexibility than PHP.
• Startups favour python because of its low development cost
• Python unlike C is not historically strong but on the way to becoming one of the dominating languages.

All of these features of python programming increased the interest of many developers to start with python as their first learning language. Being the top first choice and breaking the index to reach number 1, Python developers now have a big community around them. And as the language is making its mark, employers are willing to hire python developers. In addition to this, Python gives scope for data analysis and machine learning with backend development makes Python developers amongst the top paid employees in India.

There are a few industries that are flourishing with their applications made with Python programming language. To name the industries which used python to their advantage are:

Fintech: Financial applications and websites require productivity and quicker solutions. With the simplicity of the language and python libraries, developers not only aim at developing applications but also, using them to rectify errors.

EdTech: Handling a lot of data digitally and managing scalability is what every Edtech platforms aim for. With the assistance of Python, great EdTech platforms like Study Bee for Google Classroom and Julliard School provided an efficient learning management system that handles traffic and scalability of both of these businesses.

HealthCare: Health care institutions are moving beyond the scrappy, long-formatted documents to digital content. From managing virtual checkups to getting detailed information on the app, Python is working everywhere. In this industry, Python is being used for its analytical possibilities using artificial intelligence or machine learning. This is reinventing the way health care works.

Python Developer Salary In India

With every passing year since Python is introduced, it has been going up in terms of popular language amongst developers.

We have seen above how according, to the surveys, Python just might not be at the number one position but surely will be the future of programming with a period of 3-4 years.

The future of Python looks solid and full of opportunities. This growth helps in bringing a drastic significant leap in python developers’ salaries in India.

The average salary of a python developer in India is ₹573,233/yr. This range could go from the high of ₹1 million per annum to the low of ₹241k per annum.

Python developer’s salaries will be affected by many factors inclusive of location, skills they possess, job role, employer, and experience. Let us look in more depth at the factors affecting Python Developer salary.

Python Developer Salary Based on Experience

Experience matters a lot in deciding the average salary for a python developer in India as this language is fairly new. Therefore, the more experience you have in your python developer resume, the better salary pay you can expect from an employer.

The experience reflects your level of understanding of the language, depicts your comfort using it, and also in utilizing the language to its best potential. The average salary of a fresher python developer in India is ₹481,785 per annum while average salary for a python developer with 1-4 years of experience is ₹545,238 per annum.

The average salary of a python developer in his/her mid-career with 5-9 years of experience is ₹960,428 per annum.

The average salary of a python developer with >10 years of experience is ₹1,348,148 per annum.

Python Developer Salary Based on Location

Have you ever wondered why places like New Delhi, Pune, Gurgaon, Bangalore are brimming with the working crowd?

This is because these are some of the places where the job opportunity rate is higher than Jaipur or Ranchi. Every location has its own set of working and demands. Therefore, location also plays a significant role in finalizing the pay structure of a python developer.

Here is a quick overview of what the salary structure is like for a python developer in different cities in India.

• Bangalore – The average salary of a python developer in Bangalore is ₹726,709/year
• Pune, Maharashtra – The average salary of a python developer in Pune is ₹520,725/year
• Mumbai, Maharashtra – The average salary of a python developer in Mumbai is ₹504,398/year
• Chennai, Tamil Nadu – The average salary of a python developer in Chennai is ₹501,493/year
• Gurgaon, Haryana – The average salary of a python developer in Gurgaon is ₹651,000/year
• New Delhi – The average salary of a python developer in New Delhi is ₹605,786/year
• Jaipur, Rajasthan – The average salary of a python developer in Jaipur is ₹420,000/year

Python Developer Salary Based on Company

As we have seen above that there are some industries that have to build their best work using a python programming language. This indicates the significance of the employer/company in deciding the pay scale of a python developer.

See the table below to understand the top recruiting companies for Python Developers and what average income are they paying them.

Python Developer Salary Based on Skills

The demand for python is clearly obvious. However, the pay for a python developer is never solely based on his/her proficiency in the language. It also depends on the skill set a developer possesses. The competition out there in the field is tough as with the language booming, the community is also growing.

Therefore, for a better pay structure, you need to have a great set of skills in your resume.

Some of the skills and average pay depending on them are explained in the table below.

Career Path of a Python Developer

After getting a solid base in a python programming language your career path will be directed by you. The first and the most obvious opportunity for you is to become a Python Developer.

Moving to the next step requires experience, and most importantly upskilling yourself. The more well-versed you become with different skills necessary in your career opportunities your path will bloom.

Also, as a way to become a python developer, a person acquires quite many skills like debugging, proficiency in analysis, working with the UI and the front-end team, etc. This opens up the options for your opportunities in different fields.

How to Become a Python Developer?

If you are a fresher or an experienced developer who is finding your way to becoming a Python developer, the first and foremost skill you need is to learn Python.

This might sound obvious but there are certain things you need to keep in mind while learning or getting proficient in Python and its frameworks like Django, Flask, etc.

Always follow the “Do Approach”

If you have started learning the language or have completed it you know that it is not something you read it once and you are a genius now. It requires patience and the constant pattern of “do it”. Do your basic revision. Do your coding practice. Do work on the development part. Do your best to learn. Just keep doing it.

If you’re seeking a free Python course to begin your journey, here’s one offered by Scaler Topics, encompassing all topics in a well-organized manner.

Be an active part of the programming community

It is rightly said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

When you limit yourself to just your learning you can never learn to grow, never learn to accept fresh perspectives, and never get to see the other side of things. This is by no means a force on you to join some professional classes only for programming but to highlight the fact that even if you are a self-learner, keep communicating. Be an active part of the community and you cannot fathom the amount of learning you could get from there.

Share codes, discuss queries, learn new ideas, and start meaningful conversations.

Work not for pay but for learning

The best way to learn begins with action. Take action to bring life into the practice you have been doing all these months. Take up freelance small projects or startups, as they are a great way of learning without much expectation. you can learn to handle different responsibilities, manage your time and studies, and get light on your negatives and positives.

Another way is you could start teaching your juniors. This will be a dual benefit as you will get to practice your work and could pass on information to the students who are on the level you were a year ago. Share your experiences with them and keep learning along the way.

Attend Webinars and Seminars

There is a tremendous amount of content available on the internet. From small workshops to detailed webinars, attend those to freshen up with your basics or become a part of a talk or concept you never heard of in programming. Keep reinventing your ways of learning and growing.

Do not get comfortable

There always comes a time in the developer’s learning period that would be a dip in the learning curve. You might feel everything is done, you have coded enough, and you knew many things. But that is the point where you have to say “No! I am not done”. Push yourself to see what you are missing. Do that after a break for a few days but do not let your break turn into procrastination.

The key to becoming a great developer is not the quantity of code you do but instead the quality you maintain. Write one code daily but do it with efficiency.

What to Learn in Python?

Python might be a simple language but it has varied components and elements. To get yourself on the right track you should know what to prioritize in your learning.

Frameworks

Every developer thinks that while learning a programming language I have to know every little component of the language. Yes, that might be partially correct but to begin with, it is not necessary to learn all the frameworks of Python.

There are many powerful frameworks in Python like Django, CherryPy, Flask, etc. Accordingly, different employers and companies have different preferences so you could choose the ones that are most used and common among the big companies.

Frameworks are the modules or packages in a programming language that gives assistance to the developers while creating a web application. It allows the developer to not waste time on common structures or operations like web security, URL Routing, database connection, session storage, etc. This makes the work easier, more flexible, and more efficient.

The latest versions of Python frameworks do not limit the scope of work to just web development but are spreading their reign in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science as well. Frameworks are like best friends to a developer. The Top 5 frameworks of Python are:

• CherryPy
• Flask
• Django
• Web2Py
• Bottle

Benefits of using them

• Open-source Framework: It allows to redistribute and modify the original code
• Provides Data Security
• Adaptable on different Platforms like macOS, Windows, Linux
• Allows faster Debugging
• Integrated Unit Testing
• Run-on Multiple HTTP servers

Python Libraries

Libraries are a collection of code that can be reused by the developer while creating an application. It eliminates the element of working hard on the basic coding structures that need to be written from scratch.

It is to be believed that Python has the largest library collection with 137,000 + python libraries like Numpy, SciPy, SQLAlchemy, etc to date which includes over 267k projects.

Can you imagine the density of codes in the library that you could use for creating applications, data visualization, machine learning, data science and so much more?

Your work is to make yourself well-versed with different codes available, study deeply about them, and start using them. In addition to this, with this mammoth amount of projects in the library, you could estimate the number of people that are part of the Python community. So, engage with them and make this a fruitful experience.

There might be a little confusion on Python Library and Framework now. Here is the basic difference between the two.

ORM Libraries

Object Relational Mappers or ORM is a part of Python libraries that allows a Python developer to make modifications in their stored database using the Python language itself. A Python programmer should have a basic understanding of an ORM library than SQL as ORM libraries make the work more efficient and fast.

You could work with different relational database management systems you like. Some of the best ORM Libraries for Python are –

• PonyORM
• Django ORM
• SQLAlchemy
• Tortoise ORM
• Peewee ORM

Python Developer Skills

Python Developer skills can be categorized into hard skills and soft skills. Some of the must-have technical skills are given below –

Front-end Technologies

A Python developer though often works for server-side (backend) development but being a part of the development team many Python developers assist the front-end developers as well.

In order to be effective in your role, a Python developer should have knowledge about the fundamentals of front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The basic knowledge of fundamentals will help understand the user interface and visual aesthetics of the application better and you could give more reliable insights.

AI and Machine Learning

Machine Learning is like the next big thing in the field of technology. Having a solid base on the basics of machine learning will give a boost to your resume and help you stand out from other developers.

Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence is the innovation every tech person is looking for.

Version Control

Data and Developer are a match made in heaven. A developer deals with a huge set of data every day from different codes to modified versions. Therefore, proficiency in version control software like Git, BeanStalk, etc will help you a lot in keeping yourself organized and efficient.

Test Automation Framework

Although Python comes with its own set of test automation frameworks, for better understanding, a Python developer should be well familiar with this concept. Test Automation enhances your work and as a Python developer is responsible for debugging errors, tools like Selenium, TestComplete, etc will help in increasing efficiency and speed.

Data Structures and Algorithms

In today’s big product-based or tech companies, Data structures and Algorithms are very much preferred. Data structures and algorithms enhance the efficiency in solving coding queries or real-life-based situations. Every employer looks for a programmer who has the skills to present quality work in a short period.

Therefore, learning about structures and algorithm development would be extremely beneficial for a Python developer.

In your journey of becoming a great Python developer, you need to keep in mind that only hard skills will not help you make the cut in a big company. Every employer looks for certain soft skills as well that determine your personality, behavior, and approach toward a problem. Some soft skills required for a Python developer are

• Analytical
• Communicative
• Curious to learn every day
• Open-Minded
• Attentive to Detail
• Manages Time Judiciously
• Creative

Python Developer Job Description

Any company that is looking for a Python developer wants you to become a part of their software engineering team. They are looking for a programmer who has expertise in Python programming and can write, manage, deploy, and test the code of the applications.

They require your efficiency in the backend side of the application but prefer it if you have a basic familiarity with the front-end technologies in order to work effectively with the front-end team as well. Skills like automation testing, SQL, or any other programming language would be an advantage. The developer should be clear in communication and quick in his/her thought process.

Job Responsibilities

• Write error-free, reusable, scalable code.
• Work on the server-side part of the development to create a responsive and functional application
• Integrate elements for the front-side development of the applications
• Provide the data security and protection solutions
• Communicate with other teams to provide analytical and creative solutions
• Debug and run tests on codes written
• Scripting: Work on programs that are beneficial for effective data analysis solutions

Qualifications required

• BSc in Computer Science, Btech in Computer Science or any other related field
• Prior Work experience is preferred
• Familiarity with ORM Libraries
• Proficient in any 1 Python Framework
• Knowledge of Front-end Technologies
• Familiarity with Version Control Systems
• Fundamentals of Machine learning/ AI

It is to be noted that these requirements and qualifications could vary according to the employer and job role you apply for. Keep Reading to know more about the job roles you could apply for and the responsibilities of each of that role

Job Roles

We have seen above how Python could be used for so many purposes and how it is popular amongst the big tech companies. So after learning the python programming language and with the necessary skill set required you could apply for the following roles.

Data Scientist

Data Scientist is one of the popular job roles in the tech field. A data scientist is an expert who could gather, clean, analyze and interpret data with a programming language. He/she has the proficiency to work with intricate algorithms and statistical methodologies to enhance their analytical working.

In this case, Python is a flexible and efficient language used for analytical purposes. A person with expertise in analysis methodologies and Python could be a start employee for any big company. The responsibilities of a Data Scientist are –

• Collect data to form insightful solutions for the company queries
• Find out the complex problems the organization needs to solve
• Keep up to date with the latest trends that affect the organization
• Analyze the gathered information and data
• Clean and Dissect data to remove discrepancies and redundancies
• Present the visual or simple data to the interested parties
• Communicate with all the other teams effectively

Machine Learning Engineer

Machine learning is the future of the innovative techno world. It has spread its wings in the domains of data science, analysis, web development, and so many more industries.

A machine learning engineer in layman’s terms is a programmer who creates a program or an algorithm that could make a machine work on its own. Suppose, there is a certain algorithm behind the recommendations section on your applications. That is what is done by a machine learning engineer.

Responsibilities

• Clear about the fundamentals of algorithms, computer structure, data structures, computability.
• A solid base in statistical and mathematical skills for efficiency in creating algorithms and statistical methodologies
• communicate with a data scientist to understand the data models and content pipeline
• Implement strategies or data modeling for predicting strategic solutions for the company
• Proficient in Research and analytical skills
• complete knowledge of the industry and the application you work on

Entry-Level Software Developer

A software developer is an expert who designs, builds, and tests the software product. As an entry-level developer, you will be working under a manager. Python plays a key role here as though not all software products use python as a programming language but many of the tech firms go for python. This is where you show your proficiency.

This role is perfect for python developers freshers as they are starting out and under the guidance of a manager could learn so much.

Responsibilities of an entry-level software developer are

• Write, design, and build the code for software programs
• Assisting in the testing process of the code
• Maintain communication with other team members to learn different skills
• Keep a track of all the modifications and changes in the code
• Work with the front-end team as well for the basic familiarity with Front-end technologies

Conclusion

Python is a language that has the potential of breaking the dominating rule of the number of programming languages. Therefore, the scope for a python developer is looking bright and on an upward scale.

The learning curve is better: Flexible, dynamic language that opens up the possibilities of new learning and ventures. So do not overthink the process of becoming a python developer. if you feel it, do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much a python developer earn in India?

The average salary of a python developer in India ranges from Rs. 241,000 per annum to Rs. 1 Million per annum. This pay structure could vary according to a python developer’s experience, a location he/she is working from, employer, and skillset.

Is python a good career choice?

Python is a great programming language for a career choice. Python has the potential to beat Java and C for the number one position within 3-4 years. Plus, many big applications like Spotify, Netflix, etc are working with the python code.

What skills does a python developer need?

The top 5 skills required for a Python developer are –

• Fundamentals of python framework and libraries
• Familiar with ORM libraries
• Version Control system
• Machine Learning/AI

Can I become a python developer without a degree?

A degree is not officially required but recommended. Though you could self-learn from boot camps and seminars, a degree will help you to stand out.

What are the job opportunities for python?

With expertise in Python, you could become a python developer, software developer. And if you acquire skills in data science, machine learning you could also apply for the roles of data scientist and machine learning/AI engineer.

Additional Resources

• Python MCQ
• Python Books
• Python Projects
• Python Interview Questions
• Features of Python
• Difference Between Python 2 and 3
• Python Frameworks
• Python IDE
• Python Developer Resume
• Python Developer Skills
• Python Libraries
• Python vs Java