With applications in various paradigms of programming and computer science, Python is one of the most popular and fastest-growing languages out there. Python allows you to develop a variety of applications, including web applications, software and game development, network programming, GUIs, scientific and numeric applications, and more. Not to mention, it is the central emblem when it comes to artificial intelligence applications.
Thus, you must wonder at times whether you should learn Python. You might also be an aspiring developer and asking yourself the question, “Should I Learn Python? Should I learn Java or Python?” In this article, we’ll discuss why you should learn Python and use it to advance in your career.
To give you a brief introduction, Python is a high-level, interpreted, and general-purpose dynamic programming language that was founded in 1991 by developer Guido Van Rossum. The language is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It is known for the simplicity of its syntax and code readability. The language is easy to learn, code, and write because of its simplicity. The language also offers the benefit of huge community support and vast libraries.
5 Important Reasons Why You Should Use Python
- Unmatched Readability
If your main goal is to ensure that the application you develop is effective, you know you need to keep the quality of source code in your quiver. In other words, the performance and effectiveness of an application depend largely on the quality of its source code. A programming language with a clean and structured code base also significantly simplifies maintenance and updates. This is one of the reasons why you should learn Python.
Python triumphs by a huge margin when it comes to the readability of a programming language. It is designed in a way that allows you to express concepts and logic without writing any additional or redundant code. In addition, it also allows you to use English keywords instead of punctuation, emphasizing code readability. As improved updates of the language keep coming, the future of python seems to be even more readable.
Since the Python syntax is extremely readable, it also makes it much easier for aspiring developers to learn compared to other programming languages. Therefore, Python allows you to build custom applications using simple and readable code without any additional code. With so many hours of tedious development cut down, this might give you an idea about the importance of python from a developer’s perspective.
2. Supports Multiple Programming Paradigms
In November 2020, Python surpassed Java and became the second most popular language in Tiobe’s long-running index, after C. While the wide range of benefits offered by Python is also a reason for this, the primary reason for this is arguably the fact that its supports multiple programming paradigms. This is also one of the reasons why aspiring developers almost always get a yes when they ask the question, “Should I Learn Python?” With so many domains that it has applications for, Python is the most popular programming language in terms of learning demand.
The fact that Python is now more popular than Java probably also answers many of you who are asking, “Should I learn Java or Python?” From small-scale projects to large-scale projects, Python helps developers in building custom applications by writing logical and clean code. Python supports the following programming paradigms:
We know that one programming paradigm cannot solve all the problems efficiently. This is why you should learn Python. It equips you with the tools and functions to solve different types of problems from different domains. Multi-paradigm support also makes Python widely popular among enterprises. Other features like automatic memory management make it even more powerful than other programming languages out there.
3. Outstanding Compatibility
Python’s excellent compatibility is also one of the reasons for its wide popularity. It is supported all the major operating systems and architectures. In addition, Python’s code is executed line-by-line directly without a prerequisite to compile the human-written code into machine instructions first.
Thus it offers some additional benefits over the compiled programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, etc. Being an interpreted language, it is easier to run the same Python program on multiple platforms. All you need to do is to make sure that Python is installed on the computer where you are running the code. Furthermore, it is easier to make alterations in the code and run the modified code and see the impact of changes immediately in Python. Thus, Python is also suitable for ad-hoc requests without increasing the development time.
4. Powerful Standard Library
You must be wondering why should I learn Python over any other language that is almost equally readable and supports multiple programming paradigms as well. Another compelling reason why you should learn Python is its robust and large standard library. The library gives Python developers an edge by marginally cutting down tedious and mundane development tasks and focus on concepts and logic;
Python’s standard library offers a wide range of modules, operations, and web service tools that can be used for your applications. This eliminates the need for writing code for basic elements in an application time and time again. This not only saves time, money, and effort but also ensures efficient development.
Python standard library provides low-level details to developers allowing developers to focus on the logic of the application. Since most developers are well-versed with the standard library, the code provided by it is more maintainable and can easily be reused across projects. Furthermore, it is a well-optimized and tested library that provides you reliable and effective code for your application.
5. Enables Test Driven Development
It’s a well-known fact that Python is extremely good for prototyping testing and debugging tools. It allows you to create a prototype of the software application rapidly. In addition, you can develop the software application directly from the prototype simply by refactoring the Python code.
These qualities of Python make it easier for developers to adopt the Test Driven Development approach and perform coding and testing simultaneously. The required tests can be written before writing the code for the application and then the tests can be used to assess the application code continuously. This is one of the primary reasons why you should learn Python.
Clearly, Python offers a seamless, easy, and convenient development experience with a wide range of benefits. From its unmatchable readability to a robust standard library, there are a lot of compelling reasons why you should learn Python. Python has also knocked down Java in terms of popularity and is now the second most popular programming language. This means that its popularity among enterprises will rise even more. Hopefully, all of these compelling reasons are able to answer your question should I learn Python.