【ENG SUB】前端自学Python一星期，能干点啥？I learned Python in a week

Summary

The speaker shares their journey of learning Python in 2022, despite previous attempts and giving up. They discuss the popularity of Python, its use in various sectors like tech companies and non-software companies for tasks such as backend development, data analysis, and even HR tasks. The speaker highlights Python's simplicity, ease of setup, and rich module ecosystem, which makes it an attractive language for beginners. They also reflect on their experience writing a Python script to automate video analytics collection for their Bilibili channel, comparing it with a similar task done in Node.js. The video concludes with the speaker's realization of Python's versatility in fields like web crawling, data visualization, testing, and office automation, and its value as a second programming language for tech professionals. They encourage viewers to consider Python for its practical applications and potential benefits in enhancing productivity and employability.

Takeaways

• 📅 The speaker started learning Python on January 11th, 2022, with the goal of expanding their skills to handle more freelance projects and to be able to read Python code for work.
• 🌐 Python is a popular programming language widely used in the tech industry, including by big companies like Google and Facebook, and for various purposes such as backend development and data analysis.
• 💡 The speaker emphasizes the importance of learning new programming languages to stay competitive and mentions their past company's encouragement of learning Python through free courses and learning groups.
• 📚 Despite previous attempts and resources, the speaker struggled to find time to learn Python due to a full-time job, highlighting the challenge of learning something new while working.
• 🚀 The speaker finds similarities between programming languages and suggests focusing on the differences when learning a new language, noting that Python and JavaScript are not too different.
• 📈 The speaker appreciates Python's simplicity and ease of setup, as well as its rich ecosystem of modules that can be easily installed and used.
• 🕸️ The speaker's first practical application of Python is to create a web crawler to automate the collection of video analytics from Bilibili, which was a time-consuming manual process.
• 🤔 The speaker expresses concerns about the legality and ethics of web crawling, opting to use Bilibili's open API for practice to avoid potential issues.
• 📈 After creating and debugging, the speaker successfully wrote a Python script to fetch video analytics, and considers building a video analytics platform for Bilibili creators.
• 📊 The speaker also contemplates using a chart library to visualize data, aiming to create a personalized analytics tool and potentially uncovering insights into the platform's algorithm.
• ⚖️ The speaker compares Python with Node.js, noting that while Python's script is lighter in file size, Node.js is faster in returning data for the same task.
• 🔧 Python is presented as a good option for beginners due to its ease of use and lightweight nature, suitable for a variety of applications from web crawling to data visualization and beyond.

Q & A

What is the speaker's motivation for learning Python?

The speaker wants to learn Python to handle more types of freelance projects, read Python code for work if needed, and to potentially use it for productivity scripts in their free time.

Why does the speaker feel that Python is popular in the Bay area?

The speaker believes Python is popular because it is widely used by big tech companies like Google and Facebook for backend development, and even non-software companies use it for data analysis and report generation.

What is the speaker's previous experience with programming?

The speaker already knew Node.js and had tried learning Python in the past, but had not been successful due to time constraints and lack of motivation.

How does the speaker find Python's syntax different from JavaScript?

The speaker notes that Python does not use curly braces `{}` to segment code; instead, it uses indentation and colons `:`.

What does the speaker find appealing about Python's environment setup?

The speaker appreciates that Python is easy to set up, requiring only a download of the Python package and the use of `pip install` to add modules.

What is the first application the speaker created using Python?

The speaker created a web crawler to fetch video analytics from Bilibili, which was a task they previously found time-consuming.

Why did the speaker decide to use Bilibili's open API for their crawler practice?

The speaker chose to use Bilibili's open API to avoid legal issues and to practice without infringing on data from other websites for business use.

What is the speaker's opinion on Python's performance compared to Node.js?

The speaker found that for the same task, Node.js returned data faster, but noted that Python scripts are lighter in file size compared to a Node.js project.

What are some of the other uses the speaker mentions for Python?

The speaker mentions that Python can be used for writing tests, office automation, data science, backend development, and machine learning.

What advice does the speaker give about learning Python for job prospects?

The speaker advises researching job opportunities in one's area and understanding that becoming proficient in a field takes time, project experience, and sometimes formal education.

Why does the speaker consider Python a good second programming language for tech workers?

The speaker believes Python is beneficial for tech workers as it can be used for simple applications like data analysis and productivity tools, which can enhance daily work or life.

What was the speaker's final takeaway from their experience learning Python?

The speaker concludes that Python is a good option for beginners, as it allows one to get a feel for programming quickly and can be a valuable addition to a tech worker's skill set.