Reaching 20k+ readers on Medium and nearly 3k learners by email, I draw on my 4 years of experience as a Senior Data Engineer to demystify data science, cloud and programming concepts while sharing job hunt strategies so you can land and excel in data-driven roles. Subscribe for 500 words of actionable advice every Thursday.
[ETR #56] 1 Way To Really Master Python
Extract. Transform. Read.A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! My first programming experience wasn’t data science; it was a basic Intro to JavaScript course in, of all places, journalism school. As someone with no computer science knowledge and few technical skills (at the time) this short course introduced me to one of the most important realities of programming in any language: Encountering, overcoming and anticipating frustration. For beginners in data disciplines who might come from mathematical backgrounds or statistical programming languages, being faced with learning a scripting language can be tough, especially when there are thousands of blogs, courses and products that claim to make you a (insert programming language here) expert. My advice, if you’re trying to add a scripting language to your technical arsenal, is to take a multi-modal approach. Taking a course can be overwhelming. Ad hoc programming can be directionless. When I wanted to learn Python, 3 methods were effective for my use case:
The most effective way for me to go beyond learning to gain proficiency was being forced to use my chosen scripting language (Python) every day in my data engineer role. As a peer told me at the beginning: “When you use a skill every day, you are bound to master it.” And when I struggled with some Python-based tasks or got “blocked” at work, I took time outside of work to mock up and solve similar problems. Even as I’ve gained years of experience and seniority, I’ve found that the more I force myself to solve problems with a particular technical intervention (whether that’s Python, SQL or cloud technologies), the more confident I become with it in production. If you find yourself struggling to get started learning a scripting language or are hitting a wall in your development, my advice is to seek total immersion. Automate an annoying chore in your daily life. Create a project that allows you to “nerd out” with data from your favorite hobby. Practice every day and you’ll soon find yourself reaching Pythonic enlightenment. Thanks for ingesting, -Zach Quinn |
Extract. Transform. Read.
Reaching 20k+ readers on Medium and nearly 3k learners by email, I draw on my 4 years of experience as a Senior Data Engineer to demystify data science, cloud and programming concepts while sharing job hunt strategies so you can land and excel in data-driven roles. Subscribe for 500 words of actionable advice every Thursday.
Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! One of the most loaded terms, after AI, is upskilling. It’s something everyone should always be doing, yet, only the most dedicated can consistently dedicate time to learning and expanding beyond their comfort zones. If you’re on the path to becoming a data professional, you’ve probably spent countless hours learning, only to find yourself wondering if you’re actually making progress. I’ve been...
Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! When I worked as a resume consultant, the toughest mental block for clients was identifying and expressing material contributions at work; avoiding this communication is why so many job hunters revert to regurgitating their job duties rather than clarifying the outcomes of their work. In addition to overcoming the hurdle of distilling a complex technical role for non-technical recruiters to...
Extract. Transform. Read. A newsletter from Pipeline Hi past, present or future data professional! Data science just cracked the top 40… of jobs whose main functions are most likely to be replaced by AI. If you’re up to speed on your AI doomerism news you’ll know that at the end of July, Microsoft released a list of jobs across disciplines and industries that could be majorly disrupted by AI. On a more positive economic outlook, data engineering is specifically cited as a growing role in the...