[analog31]

In my work area, I was the first Python convert (from Visual Basic and a chain of other languages going back to 1981), and we hire scientists and engineers with no particular regard for their coding ability. We now have more than half a dozen people using Python at varying levels, with additional people mentioning that they're investigating it through online courses, home projects, etc.

A few of them have transitioned from Matlab. Even though we're a commercial business, buying each engineer a Matlab seat with packages is not a trivial expense, and asking for the money requires more management attention than we really need. With Matlab, it's: "You need Matlab for what? Why are you working on that?"

With Python, it's: "You solved that problem? Great."

But there are of course some caveats. Learning Python per se won't turn you into a professional software developer. A lot of people list Python on their resume's, and our interviewers are engineers and managers who only know that Python is a good buzzword to have. Learning Python ultimately translates into a widely varying ability to actually do anything. One of my colleagues has really taken to it, and has made an effort to develop disciplined programming skills beyond "coding." A couple others are using it for basic scripting, data analysis, and so forth. I've seen some horrendous code, and I'm torn about whether to intervene, when they are in fact getting useful results. Usually, I tell them about some things to learn on their own before they start their next project.

But that problem -- what really constitutes good programming skill for people who aren't formally trained, being hired by people who don't really know either -- isn't confined to Python.