Python Developer: Roles & Responsibilities, Skills & Proficiency

The canonical, “Python is a great first language”, elicited, “Python is a great last language!” – Noah Spurrier

A rising programming language in the IT scenario, one of the most popular amongst the developer community – Python needs no introduction. Python programming has been in demand and so has been the demand for skilled Python developers. Simply learning Python may not suffice for a developer, understanding Python in detail, learning about the roles and responsibilities, skills, and salaries are important too.

Here are some statistics that assure you of the growing popularity of Python:

Python developers outnumber Java developers

Source: SlashData

Python is one of the official languages used by Google!

Source: Quintagroup.com

Python is the most studied language and has overtaken Java in the list of popular languages used recently

Source: Jetbrains.com

Before we plunge into details of what Python developers do, let us quickly take a glance at the technology itself.

Python – An Overview

Python is an interpreted, high-level, and general-purpose programming language. Python’s design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant whitespace. Its language constructs and object-oriented approach aim to help programmers write clear, logical code for small and large-scale projects. – Wikipedia

What is Python Used For?

Python is used in different areas of application development-

• Python Web development
• Python App development
• Python Game development
• Data Science
• IoT Development Projects
• Machine Learning and much more

Key Features Of Python Programming Language

• Open source, free to use, and dynamically typed
• Easy to learn an object-oriented language
• Offers GUI programming support
• High-level and portable by nature
• An integrated and interpreted language
• Huge standard library support

The world is witnessing a huge demand for Python developers. So efficient is the Python language that the Python developer must possess certain skills and be prepared to adhere to pre-defined roles and responsibilities. Only then can a Python developer deliver excellent results. Let us have a look at what a Python developer does.

What is Python Developer?

A Python developer could be a software developer, web developer, data analyst, data scientist, automation tester, machine learning engineer, AI engineer – anyone of these with in-depth proficiency in Python. It depends upon the need of the project as to which role takes up the job of coding in Python.

Software developers in Python are supposed to manage the data interchange between the users and the server. They must develop the server-side logic assuring high-end performance. They must know the frontend technologies, integrate their work with the Python application, and develop the backend components, connecting the applications with third party services.

How To Become A Python Developer?

The career path to becoming a successful Python developer is an interesting one and there are hordes of developers looking forward to it. Do you want to know how to become a Python Developer and develop a career in it? Here are key tips that can help in doing so:

• Have your own GitHub repository built, to function more as your resume
• Build code that is easily readable, properly documented, and follows key coding standards
• Read good books on the technology and study peer code that is nicely developed
• Increase your technology skillset by knowing more about Python libraries
• Have good knowhow of AI and ML since they go together with Python
• Take up good freelancing projects with Python, to help build a good experience
• Contribute to the opensource community on platforms like GitHub
• Have your resume and profile updated to the latest on important platforms
• Follow online tutorials to help you develop your coding skills
• Master Python frameworks, ORM libraries, front-end technologies, and version control systems

Python Developer Job Description – Role, Responsibilities, And Skills

Python Developer Responsibilities

• Writing efficient, reusable, testable, and scalable code
• Understanding, analyzing, and implementing – Business needs, feature modification requests, conversion into software components
• Integration of user-oriented elements into different applications, data storage solutions
• Developing – Backend components to enhance performance and receptiveness, server-side logic, and platform, statistical learning models, highly responsive web applications
• Designing and implementing – High availability and low latency applications, data protection and security features
• Performance tuning and automation of application
• Testing and debugging software applications with Python test framework tools like Behave, Pytest, PyUnit, etc.
• Enhancing the functionalities of current software systems
• Coming up with digital tools for online traffic monitoring
• Working with Python libraries like Pandas, NumPy, etc.
• Creating predictive models for AI and ML-based features
• Keeping abreast with the latest technology and trends
• Fine-tune and develop AI/ML-based algorithms based on results

Python Developer Skills Set

Here are some of the skills that are a must to become an efficient developer in Python

Technical Skills

Good proficiency in,

• Python frameworks like Django, Flask, etc.
• Web frameworks and RESTful APIs
• Core Python fundamentals and programming
• Code packaging, release, and deployment
• Database knowledge
• Circles, conditional and control statements
• Object-relational mapping
• Server-side languages like Mako etc.
• Code versioning tools like Git, SVN, etc

Fundamental understanding of,

• Front-end technologies like JS, CSS3 and HTML5
• AI, ML, Deep Learning, Version Control, Neural networking
• Data visualization, statistics, data analytics
• Design principles that are executable for a scalable app
• Creating predictive models
• Libraries like Tensorflow, Scikit-learn, etc
• Multi-process architecture
• Basic knowledge about Object Relational Mapper libraries
• Ability to integrate databases and various data sources into a unified system
• Robust testing and debugging capabilities for tools like Selenium etc.
• Basic knowledge about Object Relational Mapper libraries
• Ability to integrate databases and various data sources into a unified system
• Robust testing and debugging capabilities for tools like Selenium etc.

Soft Skills

• Communication skills – effective and amicable communication between groups, developers, testers, designers, and users
• Analytical skills – Good understanding of algorithms and logic that goes behind coding the application
• Competence to write clear, optimized, necessary code
• Data analytical, thinking, and troubleshooting skills
• Strong problem solving and project management skills
• Capability to solve complex technical issues, comprehend risks prior to the circumstance
• Ability to realize the large picture of the organizational data condition
• Collaboration and team-orientation
• Task organization, time management, and project management
• Creativity, originality, and out of the box thinking capability

Approximate Python Developer Salary

The approximate and average pay scale for Python developers depends on many other unseen factors like geographical location, demand, skillset, etc. A novice Python developer could get around $70,000-80,000 per annum, an experienced Python developer could get around $100,000-120,000 per annum.

Though these may just give you an idea, here are few interesting reference links for getting an idea about the pay scale that a Python developer may get:

The average Python developer salary in the US is $79,395 per year – Payscale

The national average salary for a Python Developer is $76,526 in the United States – Glassdoor

The entry-level Python developer salary in the USA is $88,492. Middle developers earn $100,975 when experienced Python developers are paid on average $112,238 per year. – Indeed

As Python Developers Rise In Demand

Python is a rapidly expanding, continuously developing, and general-purpose language which is preferred by the world’s renowned enterprises. From startups to giant organizations and from web development to automatic scripts, Python developers have been tackling the challenges of today’s digital world with their proficiency and capabilities.

Owing to its salient features, Python has emerged as the first choice of developers to create dynamic web applications, data science applications, AI & machine learning projects, and next-gen digital products. The year to come shall witness Python development as one of the most desired programming concepts and an upsurge in the demand for Python developers.

Both are well-known languages. Java is a little complicated for newcomers and Python has an easy syntax to learn. Hence, Python has an easy learning curve than Java.

Good Read: Python vs Java Comparison – Who Is The Better Of The Best In 2020?