Python jobs are something that many people who are interested in programming tend to look for. This is mostly because python is a very popular programming language to learn, and many different companies around the world use it for various tasks.
However, reading python developer job descriptions can be a bit confusing, especially if you’re just starting on your programming career path. Worry not, however, for this article will tell you everything you’ll need to know about the different types of Python positions out there.
Throughout the tutorial, we’ll cover such aspects as responsibilities, job position requirements, different salaries, and so on. All of these points are different and depend on the type of Python programming jobs and their types (skill levels). Don’t worry - we’ll talk about that, too!
One thing that I can tell you in advance is the fact that online learning platforms can really help you boost your Python qualifications, and thus, grant you better jog opportunities, too. If you're looking for a reliable and on-topic MOOC, DataCamp would probably be one of the best options to go with!
Table of Contents
- 1. Different Types of Python Jobs
- 2. Entry-Level Python Developers
- 2.1. Requirements
- 2.2. Responsibilities
- 2.3. Career Path Options
- 2.4. Salary
- 3. Junior Python Developers
- 3.1. Requirements
- 3.2. Responsibilities
- 3.3. Career Path Options
- 3.4. Salary
- 4. Senior Python Programmers
- 4.1. Requirements
- 4.2. Responsibilities
- 4.3. Career Path Options
- 4.4. Salary
- 5. Conclusions
Different Types of Python Jobs
As you probably know, most jobs around the world have different “tags” attached to them. Python duties are no different - there are generally three types of developers out there. For the sake of staying consistent and avoiding possible confusion, these are also going to be the types that we’ll use in this article. They are, as follows: entry-level, junior and senior python developers. So, let’s start with the entry-level Python developer job description.
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Entry-Level Python Developers
If you love Python programming and perhaps have even graduated from a college or a university with a degree in Computer Science or Programming, but have no prior work experience, you can consider yourself to be an entry-level (or beginner), Python developer. These groups mainly consist of people who do love Python but are still trying to figure out how to become a Python developer.
As for beginner Python jobs, there aren’t all that many companies hiring absolute beginners. Most entry-level Python enthusiasts choose to go to an internship - however, that’s an option for those who study the subject in a higher education institution. That being said, you can still find beginner positions out there - it’s just not that easy, and you’ll have to be able to impress and persuade your potential employers!
Requirements
The requirements for entry-level Python tasks are pretty simple and straightforward. First of all, it will be a huge help if you have a diploma that’s relevant to Python programming. It used to be a “must-have”, but now there are alternatives (i.e. online courses). Whichever one learning path you would choose (or both, for maximum proficiency), it is, either way, important that you would get some form of proper, relevant education.
Another thing that would be a major help is experience. If you already have prior working experience as a beginner Python developer, you are set to go hunting for Python jobs - potential employers are going to be much more lenient in hiring you if they know that you’ve already had a job in programming before.
Other than that, the rest of the requirements for entry-level positions have to do with hard work, being dedicated and motivated to keep on learning, being flexible in working with other programming languages, and so on. Remember - your main goal is to get to know better about the work of Python developer, and then decide whether or not it’s a career path that you want to follow.
Responsibilities
As an entry-level Python developer, your main tasks and responsibilities are going to be centered around learning the various intricacies of the company, getting accustomed to the tasks at hand, setting a workflow, and so on. When you’re just starting on your first Python jobs, most employers are going to be keeping a close eye on you and your progress - if you set yourself a good workflow from the very start, you are much more likely to be appreciated as an employee than if you were to slack from the very beginning.
Since you’re looking for a Python developer job description, it is safe to assume that you will spend most of your time in the company programming and working with Python. This means that your main “technical” requirement is to be at least somewhat proficient with the programming language and to be able to perform (at the very least) the core tasks with it.
Career Path Options
If you’ve spent at least a few minutes browsing through the various Python jobs on some of the job marketplaces online, you probably know that the career possibilities when it comes to Python programming jobs are endless. Even though most Python developers choose to work in web development based companies, this isn’t your only choice. App development, personal projects, and many more things unlock as you progress your skills.
If you look hard enough, you will find that there are companies that are offering Python positions for people who want to work with software development, data analysis, and engineering, Python engineering, and so on… All of these choices are there mostly because Python is super-easy to learn and is a very flexible programming language. That’s bliss for people looking at how to become a Python developer.
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Salary
According to Ziprecruiter.com, the average salary that most Python jobs offer to entry-level developers (and people who are close to finding out how to become a Python developer) is around $72,600 per year. That’s an amazing salary for an entry-level job!
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Junior Python Developers
Junior Python developers are an interesting and tough group to analyze. This is due to a few key reasons - we’ll talk about them as we go. For starters, it is worth mentioning that junior-level positions are going to be ones that you’ll encounter the most. This is a huge group of programmers - naturally, there’s also a lot of competition for each single job spot available.
The transition from entry-level Python developers into junior ones is somewhat arbitrary. This is also where the trickiness comes in - there are no pre-defined, strictly set guidelines for becoming a junior Python programmer. You gain some experience, study the subject for a few years (or months - how motivated are you?) and voila! - you’re a junior Python developer.
Requirements
In addition to all of the requirements of the entry-level group (I won’t mention them here to avoid repetition), one of the main important aspects of junior-level Python jobs is an experience. If you want to be able to compete for a junior position, you’ll have to have at least some sort of prior experience. Past Python programming jobs, internships, “official” personal projects (ones that have seen the light of day) - there are many different ways that you could have gained prior experience. Naturally, one of the main and common ones would be past work in other companies.
To add to that, you should already possess a decent amount of knowledge with some specific Python frameworks of your choice, know how to integrate data sources into a single, collective system, understand the philosophy behind object-oriented programming, and be great at working with Python, overall.
Responsibilities
In most junior Python jobs, your responsibilities are going to revolve around writing good and reusable code, working with scalable apps, dealing with security issues and their prevention, various element integrations and so on. As you can probably already tell, there are quite a few responsibilities involved in being a junior Python dev.
In addition to all of that, you should also be able to work without a lot of supervision from your senior colleagues. While your beginner colleagues will more or less rely on senior members of the team to check their work and correct it, you should at this point be able to “proofread” your code, fix all errors, etc.
Career Path Options
Now, I’ve mentioned this in the introductory part of this chapter, but the vast majority of Python jobs that you’ll encounter on the market are going to be aimed at and centered around junior developers. The reasoning behind this is pretty simple: most companies need professionals who would be able to work on their own (entry-level developers are a bit too little experienced), but they also don’t need senior devs since that would be an overkill.
Furthermore, companies like to “grow” their employers - if they hire junior Python programmers, by the time they become senior, these people will already know everything and anything about the company and its workflow.
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- Offers quality content
- Gamified in-browser coding experience
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- Focused on data science skills
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- Nanodegree programs
- Suitable for enterprises
- Paid certificates of completion
- A wide range of learning programs
- University-level courses
- Easy to navigate
- University-level courses
- Suitable for enterprises
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Salary
Now, this is the tricky part. Believe it or not, but Payscale.com estimates that the average salary that a junior Python developer can expect to make is going to be around the annual $70,200 mark.
Do you notice anything strange?
That’s approximately $400 less than beginner Python developers make.
While there can be a wide variety of reasons for why that’s the case, only two seem feasible at the time of writing this. One, the website is way outdated. Two, this could be a clear indication that there are way too many less-experienced junior Python jobs out there, and that they are bringing the overall numbers down. THAT, or beginner devs are way too good and they are bringing the numbers up.
As I’ve stated earlier, there is no clear line between entry-level and junior, or junior and senior Python programmers. This makes it so that many beginners can be considered juniors, and the other way around - that would explain the odd numbers!
Senior Python Programmers
Senior Python developers are the most experienced experts in the industry. They are great not only when it comes to Python programming - usually, these people are fluent in two or three programming languages, have a great grasp of the programming philosophy, can work on multiple different tasks at once and are awesome team players.
Requirements
As you might expect, the requirements for senior Python jobs are, well… Huge. Since you’re trying to get a job as an expert in your craft, your skills and knowledge are going to be tested through and through. Frameworks, integrations, threading, design principles, debugging… You name it!
In addition to all of the above-mentioned knowledge, you should also possess a Master’s degree in Computer Science or any other IT-based field that has to do with Python programming. Possessing a master’s degree, you will legitimize your knowledge and experience with Python - most workplaces are going to have this as a mandatory requirement for senior Python programmers.
Responsibilities
Senior Python jobs are for the people who hold everything together and deal with the most difficult of tasks. You will also have to supervise your less-experienced colleagues. Handing down your knowledge in the form of tips and tricks, testing their skill level, checking their progress.
There are going to be quite a few tasks associated with preparing these employees for their future assignments and work! And remember - all of this will be an addition to the things that you'll already have to do - the difficult assignments that you'll encounter every single day.
Career Path Options
As a senior Python-dev, you have a few different career options available to you. Working in a company is the most common type of options that senior developers choose, but you could also turn towards the path of freelancing. There are certain pros and cons associated with that, too - you’ll have the opportunity to set your salary, but will also have to deal with job instability! If you’re truly passionate about Python jobs, furthermore, you want to spend all of your time and energy on programming, the option of working in a company and on personal projects at the same time is also a thing.
- Easy to use with a learn-by-doing approach
- Offers quality content
- Gamified in-browser coding experience
- Free certificates of completion
- Focused on data science skills
- Flexible learning timetable
- High-quality courses
- Nanodegree programs
- Student Career services
- Nanodegree programs
- Suitable for enterprises
- Paid certificates of completion
- A wide range of learning programs
- University-level courses
- Easy to navigate
- University-level courses
- Suitable for enterprises
- Verified certificates of completion
Salary
Finally, we have a senior Python developer salary. Needless to say, since senior devs are the best that this industry has to offer, their salaries should represent the hard work, dedication, and effort that these people have put in. Let’s see if that’s the case.
Glassdoor.com states that a senior Python developer should make around $86,100 per year. This is a great salary in of itself, but remember - it’s only the average baseline! If you put in the effort, you could be looking at much higher numbers than that!
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Conclusions
We have covered all of the main types of Python jobs for a developer, that you’ll encounter while trying to look for one that would suit you best. I hope that you now understand better the job market, and will be able to choose a job much more easily. Remember - hard work and passion can do wonders and can take you from a beginner programmer to a senior Python developer in no time. If you need any additional help, learn from the top-tier instructors on our course page.
If you are a complete beginner, then by all means start with our interactive Python tutorial. Don't forget to check out DataCamp, as well!
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