Is Python the Best Programming Language for Beginners?

With so many programming languages out there, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here at Coder Academy, we teach a range of programming languages, and one of them is Python. Why? Well, we’ll leave that to educator Oliver Lavers to explain.

“Python is an elegant, readable, practical language that can be used in almost every application thanks to its open-source licence and prolific community of contributors,” Oliver says.

“It is a powerful high-level language that was made with the core philosophical goal that, ‘There should be one – and preferably only one – obvious way’ of performing a given task. This, combined with its simple, English-like syntax makes it easy to learn and a joy to work with.”

Python is incredibly popular. You’ll find it used as part of the tech stack for well-known brands, including Instagram, Spotify, Uber, Netflix, Pinterest, and Google.

Originally released in 1991 by creator Guido van Rossum, Python is a multi-paradigm programming language that can be used to perform almost any task, and concepts and techniques are transferable to other popular languages like Ruby, JavaScript, C# or C++.

In terms of job demand, Python may just be the most in-demand language in the world right now. At the end of December 2021, a round-up of LinkedIn job listings in the US and Europe saw Python come out on top – suggesting that it will be incredibly important in 2022.

According to Stack Overflow’s 2021 Developer Survey, Python was the most wanted programming language amongst developers who are not developing with the language currently, but who wish to do so in the future.

Learn Python at Coder Academy

Introducing Python to Our Web Development Bootcamp

We’ve recently introduced Python to our full stack Web Development Bootcamp syllabus.

In this course, students learn HTML 5 and CSS for website creation and design. They learn JavaScript and apply it in the MERN (Mongo Express React Node) stack as they work their way towards a nationally recognised and accredited Diploma of Information Technology.

Students also learn the fundamentals of programming, information systems (IS), discrete mathematics as part of computer science, database systems, software engineering skills, and more.

Until recently, bootcamp students have come to grips with these foundational programming techniques using Ruby on Rails. Now, we will be introducing students to programming with Python.

So why the switch from Ruby to Python?

We still stand by Ruby as an easy to understand, general purpose language, but the popularity of Python is impossible to ignore. Our educators work in the tech industry, and they adapt to new languages whenever needed.

We strive to create learning environments that mimic workplaces, with the educators standing in as senior developers, and the students as junior developers – working on their own projects as they receive mentorship and advice. So it made sense for us to make the shift and train students in another versatile, widely used, and increasingly in-demand language.

At the end of the day, one language isn’t necessarily better than another. There are languages that are easier to learn and to use, but everyone will have their own preferences, and certain languages will be better suited to different projects than others.

That’s why we teach our students how to become lifelong learners, so that they have a solid foundation to work from, while also possessing the required skills to go on learning new languages, new technologies, and new ways of working as needed.