What's After Python?
Tags: python, machinelearning, career
Published: 2022-04-02 20:13:26

## Table of Contents
1. [Career Paths](#career-paths)
2. [What to Learn Next](#what-to-learn-next)

#### Why is Python as popular as it is today?
- Simple & Readable
- Highly Flexible
	+ It's used in machine learning, automation, websites, big data, cloud computing, game development, and more!
- Lucrative Career Opportunities
- Supportive Community
- Its role in data science

### Career Paths**
1. Python Developer (~$115,272/yr in United States)
2. Data Analyst (~81,494/yr in California)
3. Machine Learning Engineer (~$126,604/yr in California)
4. Web Developer (~107,491/yr in California)
5. Research Analyst (~75,331/yr in California)
6. Software Developer (~102,920/yr in California)
7. DevOps Engineer (~129,432/yr in California)
8. Data scientist (~129,755/yr in California)

And there are more careers and titles out there for you. Learning Python will open doors for you!

** Salaries from indeed and glassdoor (_taken in March 2022_)

### What to Learn Next
#### Web Development Route
This is one of the most popular careers in the programming world, creating web applications. Within Python, two main web development frameworks are [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com/) and [Flask](https://flask.palletsprojects.com/). Along with those two, you will want to learn HTML/CSS and JavaScript.

#### Machine Learning Route
Python is the most preferred language in ML due to its extensive libraries and modules. To dive deeper into machine learning, you will want to know the basics of [calculus](https://www.khanacademy.org/math/multivariable-calculus), [statistics](https://www.khanacademy.org/math/statistics-probability), [linear algebra](https://www.edx.org/learn/linear-algebra), and probability to name a few.

#### Data Analyst Route
Data analysts gather, store, manipulate, and retrieve information from databases. You'll want to be familiar with [MS SQL Server](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2019), [Oracle DB](https://www.oracle.com/database/), and [MySQL](https://www.mysql.com/). You will also need to know statistical tools, some R programming, JavaScript, [MATLAB](https://www.mathworks.com/products/matlab.html), and [IBM SPSS](https://www.ibm.com/analytics/spss-statistics-software). Tools you can get familiar with include Tableau, QlikView, and Power BI.

#### DevOps Engineer Route
A DevOps engineer is someone who has a very good understanding of systems, automation tools, CL tools, version control systems, networking, and has experience in using project management tools. With that being said, you'll want to become familiar with Linux/Unix systems, [get certified on cloud](https://cloud.google.com/certification), learn infrastructure automation, stay updated with the best practices in security, and master scripting.

#### Python Developer Route
If you are aiming to become a Python developer, focus on your portfolio and your projects. Work on projects with Python in order to develop your skills. Learn Django and/or Flask and libraries such as Pyglet, Pandas, Pygame, and more. It is important to be consistently developing your portfolio of completed Python projects to showcase your experience and knowledge in your field.

### Conclusion
As you venture on to the next steps of your journey, remember that you can never make a wrong turn as many of the career paths intertwine. Because of this, it is easy to switch between them in the future if need be without needing to start from scratch again, unlike in other fields. No matter what you do, be proud of yourself.

Happy coding!