When I started learning data science, I started learning with R. I was a statistics major, and in the world of academia, there is a heavy preference of R over Python. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with learning one or the other, but I had invested several years mastering R before I joined the workforce and Python became a requirement.

I went into my first job with expectations of being able to build models and automate everything using the tools I had in R. My dreams of predicting and eliminating all the work were quickly dashed when I found out that nobody at my job knew much of anything about R. This meant that anything I created would have no support from the IT department or any of my coworkers if I ever moved on. I could automate my own work but if I started moving my way up the corporate ladder, nobody would be able to do my job the way I was.

As time went on, I started working more with the data science team and their IT support team. They introduced me to this wonderful language called Python. As with any new language or tool, there was a bit of a learning curve that came with it. I struggled a lot. Here are some of the things about Python that are different that really tripped me up.

#python #learning-to-code #struggling #r