Python Usefulness IRL

Is learning Python good for anything besides modding Civ 4? The only programming I've ever done was BASIC on my old Commodore 64. I never thought I'd see that knowledge be of any use, but Python seems to be based on the BASIC I used as a kid.

Does knowing Python add anything to my resume for instance? My education was in biochemistry and my current occupation is in education.

Python is more based on languages like C++ and Java than BASIC, though it certainly contains many of those elements as well. It's far more marketable than BASIC, too.

However, unless you're going to teach programming, I can't see anyone hiring a teacher based on their Python knowledge. "The course you will be teaching focuses on 20th century film and literature. Oh, I see you know Python . . . excellent!" No, not likely.

But I can tell you that Python is used for creating web applications and is great for CGI scripting (small-scale web applications). It is a great language for learning because it's a bit more student-friendly than C++ and Java without sacrificing the power when you need it.

I've learned many languages over the years (I'm a software developer by trade) but never bothered to learn Python. However, having a neat learning environment like cIV made it really appealing. Usually finding an interesting application is the toughest part to learning a language. You can only write so many "Hello world!" programs before you go nutty. And it's so helpful to have working code to tweak and learn from.

With more web developing firms moving towards agile methods, dynamic languages are starting to take off, although much of that lies in Ruby. This site takes a look at different languages and their usage stats, although truthfully it's not that important unless you're going for a job with programming, I don't think knowing one language or another matters as much as being able to discuss with an interviewer how your programming experience makes you a better candidate then someone who hasn't programmed before. In Education, this might be a bit harder to sell.