(In addition to what the other comments point out…) It’s also an extremely lispy language (fundamentally based on term rewriting as a computational model) wher

(In addition to what the other comments point out…) It’s also an extremely lispy language (fundamentally based on term rewriting as a computational model) where it’s very intuitive to do higher order functions and structural manipulations in the spirit of macros. In my experience, makes it an absolute cinch for tackling complicated one off wrangling tasks. It’s a unique language that is absolutely unparalleled in the directions it’s good at. I’ve had friends (in grad school) tell me that they don’t mind the potential lifelong dependence because paying a few hundred dollars annually for Mathematica is so worth the capability amplification they get.