Python for freelancing

John Borden have you had any time to mess around with the Flask framework? If so what is that like compared to Django? Have you been in a situation yet that required you to use your Python knowledge to write any scripts for automating tasks related to your web applications and/or parsing log files for data? If not does Django provide utility packages for handling stuff like that?

A really fun Python book is called "Deadly Python". It teaches you a lot about Python. Instead of hello world in Chapter one you actually write a complete port scanner utility.

Really cool stuff to hear, and thanks for the reply. I'll have to take a look at that book now (I think it's actually Violent Python?) it sounds really cool from the description. I'm not sure what I think about Java, especially since I have no clue about Java, and honestly didn't even realize you could do backend stuff with it. I'm really liking Python so far, and I don't want to do too much bouncing around with languages unless it's really worth it, but I'm definitely going to look more into that kind of stuff, same with the whole linux administration.

Does the kind of stuff you mentioned translate well into freelancing? Most importantly as a beginner freelancer - or is it more advanced/real-job kind of positions?

For me I really want to get my feet wet, I mean I've come to realize that the best way to learn this stuff, at least for me (and probably learning anything) is to just get some great sources of reliable information, and dive in, hands-on with challenging practical projects. On top of that, if I could start making money from this kind of thing real soon, not even talking big money right now, but to just start gaining some real "industry" experience, a little side cash, building up experience/portfolio and all that good stuff, I'd be over the moon.

Heck I've even been offering friends and others I know to build them free websites just so I can have real projects to work on, because I'm a bit dry on ideas myself at the moment.

Violent Python is the name you are correct. I don't know man. I spent 2 years with Java as my first language and just recently started looking at other languages. It's easy after you learn one. Also if you go into software development as a one trick pony hell bent on never changing you might as well learn a brand new language instead. That is a horrible idea and you won't have much of a future in software development. You need a toolbox full of tools. You can't just say "I know Python". Good luck man.

Yeah I've actually been looking around for stuff like that, thanks for the link - I'm definitely checking it out. I've been told recently that algorithms and at least some other CS stuff is pretty important/useful, even for someone not getting a CS degree, so I don't want to deprive myself of that.

Much appreciated man, thanks for all the info.

This is going to be a fun one to answer. I personally use Python combined with Django. It was my first framework (because it has a really good comprehensive tutorial in the form of the Django Book, which is free, though a tad dated), and I haven't had any regrets about learning it ever since. It's my sort of default go to when I'm working on a personal project, though I'm slowly migrating towards Go (if you ever get the time, check it out, you won't regret it).

Unfortunately PHP has had years of what amounted to essentially zero competition in the back-end world, and as a consequence it's everywhere, which means that working on a pre-existing website usually entails using PHP.

Wordpress hasn't helped out either, seeing as it powers roughly a quarter of all websites out there (the percentage for bad websites is much higher). Clients with a DIY bent typically favor Wordpress for its ease of use, which means you'll be working with PHP yet again, this time with even more spaghetti code.

So yeah, as far as web dev goes, you'll probably be stuck doing PHP/Wordpress. To get around this, I justify my use of Django (or other framework) by being paid for both development AND maintenance. The idea here is that they're paying me for quality and maintenance, so I strongly recommend to them that I use my tools of choice, or I charge extra to keep their disaster of a Wordpress site from bursting into flames because of some plugin update or security oversight. You have to get creative, or try and focus on web apps that have more functionality than your standard blog / brochureware site.

No it makes since. John Borden is Django a framework written in Python? If so that would make a lot of sense but in it still would "feel" like the language it was implemented in because a lot of the syntax and semantics would be the same for the constructors, methods, classes etc.. . Actually you don't have to answer that lol. I'll just Google. Seems easy enough. Thanks man!