How much does it cost to hire an offshore Python developer?

Python is a popular programming language used for coding different applications and software. Unlike other programming languages used only in one field, for example, HTML is used only in web development, Python is diverse. Its applicability spans across many different fields, such as application development, data science, machine learning – the list is endless.

Python is used in the development of:

• Web frameworks using Django, Flask, etc.
• Python app development
• Web applications on the server-side
• Internet protocol support
• Data science and machine learning with SciPy
• IoT development projects

There are two different types of Python language that are popular: Python 2 and Python 3.

Python 2

Its first release was in 2000. It was designed to be easy to learn for an average person.

Python 3

Python 3 was released in 2008 as an upgrade of Python 2. Its main objective was to prevent repetitive coding. Python 3 has an easy learning curve due to its similarities with the English language.

A Python developer is responsible for designing, coding, and deploying projects written using the Python programming language. The developer is also in charge of testing and debugging projects under development and maintaining existing applications and software. Depending on the project requirements and job specifications, a Python developer can be an artificial intelligence engineer, data scientist, web developer, machine-learning engineer, etc.

There are three main experience levels for Python developers.

Junior developer

Junior developers are those who are still learning the Python language. Their experience is still limited, and they require more supervision. These are beginners in the development industry with diplomas and bachelor’s degrees in programming-related fields. Junior developers constitute a higher percentile of python developers.

Mid-level developer

In about three years, the specialists will have enough experience and knowledge to be considered a mid-level specialist. Mid-level developers have enough knowledge to work on their own. Mid-level developers are responsible for supervising junior developers in the workplace.

Senior developer

They have more than ten years of programming experience. Senior developers have a thorough knowledge of the programming language and a lot of experience obtained from numerous projects, which they have done during their careers. They are the problem-solvers that lower-level Python developers run to seek advice and guidance. Their vast knowledge enables them to come up with working solutions for a particular project under development. Additionally, senior Python developers can analyze their work, look for mistakes, and solve any arising problem. Senior developers have job titles of Team leaders and Project supervisors in charge of the product development.

A Python developer job description includes some of the following tasks:

• Designing applications and software with low latency and high availability.
• Writing effective, reusable, and scalable Python code
• Debugging and testing applications with Python test tools which include Pytest, PyUnit, and many others.
• Creating algorithms for APIs to send and retrieve data
• Analyzing data using Python Pandas in big data analytics.
• Management of AWS cloud services using Boto, an Amazon Python SDK.
• Analyzing and improving functionalities of the existing software systems.
• Developing back-end web applications to enhance the site performance and the collection of data.

Python developer jobs require Python developers to have extra skills on top of knowing basic syntax and semantics of the language to create a software product. The skills also come in handy when applying for a job. The basic requirements for a Python developer are:

Frameworks

Frameworks provide a well-defined structure to the software under development. Most common Python frameworks include Flask, Django, and CherryPy. The use of any framework will depend upon the type of project being developed. As such, knowing Python frameworks is a must. Frameworks are important, especially for a python backend developer.

Basic knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript

Having a basic understanding of these basic frontend web development languages helps create web-related Python software. Knowledge of these three will help a coder develop programs that will be able to integrate with the frontend development with ease.

Libraries

Being a versatile language, Python has libraries for almost every project requirement. By familiarizing with some of the commonly used libraries, one will be able to work faster and finish the tasks within deadlines.

ORM libraries

Connecting applications using Python ORM like Django ORM is easier, faster, and efficient compared to using commonly used SQL. As such, it is the most preferred method. By having it under the skillset, Python developers will be in a better position to market themselves.

Freelancers

Freelancers are independent individuals with a particular skill set, and they offer their services at a price. Freelance software developers have an hourly rate that they charge the clients. They are available on different freelancing platforms, which include Freelancer and Fiverr, among many others. These are the most affordable of all the types of Python developers.

When you have a small simple application, you can look for a python full stack developer to single-handedly create the product. You can get your job done easily by freelancers, but many companies rarely use this route. Why? Freelancers have more freedom and can lack the commitment required to complete the project. They can neglect your work and start something else.

In-house engineers

In-house developers are recruited by the company to provide their services for a certain duration of time. Usually, a company hires interns who train to the level suited for the company. In-house software engineers have long-term contracts compared to other types as they will be responsible for performing tasks requiring their skills.

In-house teams become part of the company, and they get monthly salaries as any other employee of the organization. However, their effectiveness in tackling any task will depend on their level of expertise and experience. An inexperienced team may prompt the company to outsource, which is costly to the company, given that they already have an in-house team.

Outsource programmers

Outsourcing is the process of hiring Python development firms. They work on a contract basis, and they are responsible for the development of the project required. Outsourcing is the most convenient and cheapest method to get your product developed. One major advantage of outsourcing is that it contains a team of experts. Due to their experience in developing products for different clients, they have vast knowledge to develop the product to your exact requirements. They require minimum supervision to get the job done. You can find outsource teams on social platforms like LinkedIn.

When developing a software product, a project description is essential in providing the guidelines to achieve the desired end product. Below is an outline to write a Python project description.

Title of the project

Short description of the project.

Write a short description of the expected operation of the final product.

Project requirements

This section states the project requirements in great detail. It provides the timeline required to finish the product and the number of resources needed. It includes the functions of the project, the expected performance, and the required attributes the project must possess. Also, it describes the software functionalities in great detail. The final user interface is clearly stated. The expected final performance is outlined in this section. Performance attributes include loading speed, processing times, response times, and availability, among many others. These attributes should have expected figures, which are used during the testing period.

Technical requirements

In this section, you write down specific technical requirements such as communication protocols and database structures required in the project. By knowing this beforehand, you will save yourself a lot of time.

Working plan

This section describes the development stages of the software product. It outlines which aspects of the product must be developed at a certain stage and the timeframe required to complete a particular stage.

Below are some of the tough Python developer interview questions to assess their skills.

• How do you transform a Python string into a list?
• List major differences between tuples and lists.
• How can you differentiate between Numpy and SciPy?
• What is a Pythonpath?
• What are global, protected, and private attributes in Python?

For more Python developer interview questions and answers, you can visit stack overflow.

The amount of money a Python developer makes depends on the country in which they work and the specific field of python programming. Cities with high python programmer salaries are:

• San Francisco with an average salary of 143 500 USD per annum;
• New York with an average base salary of 133 000 USD per annum;
• Los Angeles with an average salary of 118 500 USD per annum.

As you can notice, all three are in the US.