Programming languages have been around the IT industry for a long time now, and every decade we get to know a new programming language has been launched. In this digital age, as the competition is growing day by day, many IT organizations are looking for candidates having a strong hold on at least one programming language and sometimes even more. This makes coding a very bankable prospect, and certifications only strengthen your chance at that lucrative job offer. The programming language which has gained a lot of attention in recent times is Python. Here are some facts about Python:
- According to the TIOBE index, which tells the popularity of a programming language, Python has now climbed up to rank 2, surpassing Java recently. Now Python is eying to take the rank 1 position of C programming language, as the popularity of C is dropping.
- According to a Stack Overflow survey, Python has become the fastest growing programming language than other programming languages like Java, C, C++.
This makes Python a demanding skill and one of the most popular certification choices. But often, people are confused about whether to go for a Python certification or not, will it help in my career or not, Is Python certification really worth it. In this article, I am going to answer this question in an as simple way as possible.
Is Python Certification Worth It?
When you talk about Python certification and you are certified in Python, it basically reflects that you have a very good knowledge of Python. But you need to have hands-on experience as well because Python is all about implementation. So, if you do not have enough hands-on experience but just a Python certification to increase your salary, you will probably not find a good job. So, a Python certification is only helpful if you have good skills in Python practically.
Here are the reasons why I think Python certification is worth it.
Adds Valid Proof of your Expertise
These days every organization validates the candidates in the interview rigorously to hire the best candidate for the role. And since there are so many folks who know Python, filtering the best out of them is challenging. Having a Python certification on your resume will add valid proof justifying your expertise in Python skills. You would not gain a Python certification unless you are really good at it.
Competitive Edge
Having a Python certification will help you stand out of the queue of non-certified candidates. Recruiters often shortlist candidates who have Python certification, so the certification would surely help you get recognized, shortlisted, and maybe in the initial interview rounds. The certification showcases the employer that apart from having expertise in Python, you also believe in expanding your knowledge.
Higher Salary
As per the industry standards, a certified professional gets paid 30 to 50% more than a non-certified professional. A decent Python developer who has a certification earns around USD 116,028 in the United States per year, which is much higher than the average salary of a Python developer in the United States which is approximately USD 80,000 per year.
Why go for Python Certification?
Python is currently one of the most popular languages, if you are into development or programming, you must know Python. But the question is why I should go for Python certification and not for any other programming language out there. Let me tell you the benefits of having a certification in Python.
Faster and Easier to Learn
If you are a beginner and thinking of learning a programming language, Python should be your first choice because it is very easy to learn and understand. It looks like simple plain English, which helps in better readability. You can learn Python programming faster than other programming languages. After learning Python for just a few months, you can get certified and add Python skills to your expertise portfolio. So, if you are a non-programmer or a beginner and you thought you could never get a certification in any programming language, you should try out Python, you will be surprised.
Huge Community
Python programming language has a huge community with millions of active developers across the globe, out of which many are certified developers also. This community of developers can be of enormous help when you are preparing for certification. A lot of threads by the Python community talk about the tips and tricks to get Python certified easily. The certified developers in this community share their experience and help you with a roadmap for Python certification. While preparing for the certification, if you get stuck with some technical topics, the community of Python is there to guide and help you. And the other advantage of being a part of the Python community is that you get access to a lot of free online content to prepare for your Python certification.
Career Opportunities
If you have a certification in Python, the first thing you can do is showcase it on your resume, it will help you in cracking job interviews. The interviewers often prefer candidates with certifications in their portfolio. The certification acts as a valid credential to justify your knowledge of Python. It increases your chance of getting selected for the job role you are interviewing for at any organization. Most organizations often prefer certified professionals over non-certified professionals. Having a Python certification will also help you land a job with a higher salary package. It will also help you crack some big opportunities with tech giants such as Facebook, Google, Netflix, etc. But obviously, they would check your python skills at an advance level, so a professional or expert level of Python certification here can be of great help.
Multi-Purpose
You should also learn and get certified in Python because of just how multi-purpose it is. Since there are so many frameworks and libraries built on top of Python, it can be used for basically anything a programming language is capable of. With the knowledge of Python and Python certification under your belt, you can work on various domains such as web development, testing, data science, artificial intelligence, big data, automation, and many more. Apart from Python certification, you can also try for many other certifications on data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data, which requires the knowledge of Python. Python for data science certification is considered one of the hottest certifications in the market today and helps you win huge salary packages.
Final Thoughts
Python is the most in-demand programming language in the market today and having a certification in Python is only going to add an advantage to your career. But just to be clear, having just a certification is not enough, you must have a good command of Python skills is the real key to success in this programming language. Also, if you are a Python developer with few years of experience but do not have a certification, it does not mean you are scarred for life, just joking 🙂 But having a Python certification will obviously boost your career. I hope by now you have got the clarity on whether Python certification is worth it for you or not.
