Python & the job market

[kbass]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Skip Montanaro" <skip at pobox.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
To: "kbass" <kbass at midsouth.rr.com>
Cc: <python-list at python.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 13, 2004 7:13 PM
Subject: Re: Python & the job market


>
>     kbass> I am starting to learn Python but I want to know how the job
>     kbass> market looks for programming using Python.
>
> Better than a year ago.  I don't know what it is in overall numbers, but
> it definitely seems to be growing.
>
>     kbass> I really don't see many jobs (probably one or two) that require
>     kbass> Python experience at all.
>
> Have you checked out
>
>     http://www.python.org/Jobs.html
>
> and the job sites it refers to?
>
>     kbass> Most DBA and SA positions that I have seen require Perl and
most
>     kbass> development position require Java or C++ ...
>
> This is not surprising.  These languages all have larger installed bases
> than Python.
>
>     kbass> ... so how can learning Python benefit my career if there are
>     kbass> little to no chance that an employer will require the use of
>     kbass> Python or consider using Python over other programming
languages
>     kbass> such as Java?
>
> A fair number of us have figured out ways to do that.  Here are some
> suggestions:
>
>     * Get a job which is nominally not a programming position (say, sys
>       admin).  For the little bits and pieces you wind up writing to do
your
>       job better use Python, then make them available to your fellow sys
>       admins.
>
>     * Infiltrate a job for which another programming language is
"required".
>       Then start looking here
>
>         http://www.python.org/cgi-bin/moinmoin/PythonAdvocacy
>
>       for ways to convince your colleagues that Python might be a better
>       choice for some things.
>
>     * Hang out your shingle as an independent consultant.
>
>     * Got some good ideas and some good skills?  Check out Mark
>       Shuttleworth's bounties page:
>
>         http://www.markshuttleworth.com/bounty.html
>
> You have to be a bit more patient and creative, but it's definitely
> possible.
>
> Skip
>

I have experience about 4 years of Java experience (designed and developed
numerous projects as a consultant in the past), 10+ years of Oracle
experience, about 5 years of Perl experience so programming is not a problem
. I guess my main point that I should have touch upon was learning Python
and influencing management to go the Python route in a company where Java is
the standard.

The Python Advocacy site is a good starting point to achieve the goal of
influencing direct management but influencing other programmers could be an
endeavor within itself too. One to five programmers developing in Python
would be considered 'rouge programmers' at my company so convincing Java and
VB programs to use Python will be a definite challenge.

It took me about 2 to 4 months to successfully influence management that
Linux AS was a direction that our departmental server should be but
influencing them about Python maybe an uphill battle due to other I.T.
departments and non-I.T. departments using Java and VB.  I am up for the
challenge.

I reviewed the projects on Mark Shuttleworth's bounties page and I think
that I will attempt to do some research and try one soon.

kbass