2 ms·
One of my big reasons for wanting to pick up Python was to get me out of developing on Windows. As much as people love to tout Mono, it's simply not desirable f
by EnderMB 13y ago
One of my big reasons for wanting to pick up Python was to get me out of developing on Windows. As much as people love to tout Mono, it's simply not desirable for any .NET shop.
My biggest worry was if I was offered a job at a great company, how I would be able to adapt not to the language, but going from an entirely different platform, one that I hadn't used in anger since uni. Learning a language shouldn't be a problem, but as I've found out, most of my issues aren't in using the language itself, but adjusting to the Unix workflow.
Also, my big worry is being the "Windows guy" at an office. I doubt I'm the first C# developer to be laughed at because I develop on Windows, even if it's by (in my opinion) fairly crappy developers. Deep down, I reckon a lot of devs look down on people that have the audacity to call themselves developers when they don't build on Linux.
So, I guess my next two questions are:
1. Did you notice a decrease in "professional level" when you moved from C# to Python. I'm a mid-weight developer, probably not too far off from being a senior developer. With very limited Python experience I doubt I'd be able to just jump over to being a mid-level developer, and to be honest I wouldn't want to drop in salary by too much just so I can use a different language.
2. How easy was it to land a job writing Python if you've not come with "previous professional experience"? I've written a bit of Python, simply to script some things on a Windows server. I've got my own scripts, but nothing in an actual job. I reckon I could pick it up (Python/Django), along with a good dev workflow in Linux, within a few months, but I can see employers being skeptical to hire a C# dev if another Python dev wants the job.
- jroseattle 13y agoActually, I find a lot of developers who don't care for Windows who very much like C#. To your questions: 1) Professional level decrease? Not hardly. If anything, I found strong professionalism in Python. "Pythonistas" are huge in principles such as DRY, which isn't about something terribly complex but rather keeping things simple and clean. It's about being organizationally effective and not coding one's self into a corner. The fact that the language seems so easy to work with shouldn't give the impression of it being simplistic. 2) I didn't land a job writing Python, it's just a tool to get things done. From a career standpoint, I don't want to be known as a {language/platform/thing} guy, I simply want to be known as an engineer. Tools, languages, platforms, services, etc. will come and go. As long as I recognize how to use those in combination to get things done efficiently, I'm doing my job.