Have you ever wondered what's the fastest way to land a programming job in the modern-day software engineering industry?

Back in 2020, I did too. I had just recently graduated from university and was eager to make some money from all the "useful" skills I had learned over the past five years. My primary skillset revolved around solid knowledge of algorithm design and thousands of hours of coding in C++.

None of that got me my first job.

Instead, doubling down on learning Python allowed me to land a Backend Developer position after just one month of trying, and to this day, has gotten me into all my positions as a software engineer.

• Python is easy to learn.

• Python is extremely versatile.

• Python is the most popular programming language in the world.

If you want to learn how to secure a position more successfully in the software industry, let me save you some time and give you the reasons why learning Python is the correct choice.

Reason #1: Python is easy to learn.

First things first, I knew barely any Python when I started job-hunting for the first time in my life.

I have to admit that I panicked when one of my friends offered to help me get a job as a Backend Developer using Django Rest Framework. I got home that day and started devouring the framework's documentation and creating my first toy server apps. It took me only two weeks to feel comfortable enough to call my friend and say I was up for that challenge.

I worked for that company for over 18 months before I finally decided to go in pursuit of other adventures.

Reason #2: Python is extremely versatile.

In 2021, while working my first job, another company approached me with an offer.

They wanted me to join their team and help them create geospatial algorithms to improve the performance of one of their developing apps. If this sounds scary and advanced, it is because it was. However, because the project was written in Python, all the libraries I needed to do the job were exquisitely well-documented, significantly lowering the entry barrier for me.

After a few weeks of getting familiar with the new skill set, I was working two jobs, getting two salaries, and coding in the same language.

Reason #3: Python is the most popular programming language in the world.

In 2022, I was contacted by a Swedish company and started an interview process to join their team.

After two successful interviews, during which I got to know some of the company's members, came the technical interview. They sent me a project so I could get familiar with it for a week, and then we had a live coding session where we simulated adding new features to the project. I was responsible for doing all the coding, and they could provide me with some help if needed.

The project was written in Python, and I could finish the technical interview with an extra 30 minutes to spare.

To this day, I still code in Python.

Two years later, I live in Sweden and have switched companies twice, always looking for a project where Python is the main programming language.

I have been a backend developer, a geospatial data scientist, and a DevOps engineer and never had to code in a different language.

Python is easy to learn, has many use cases, and is in high demand.

It should feel natural to want to learn it.

PS…If you are a software engineer trying to improve your career by focusing on your work, health, and relationships, then Algorithmically Speaking is where you hop on (so that you don’t get left behind):

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