Main image of article Python Takes TIOBE's Top Programming Language of the Year

For the second time in a row, Python has seized the TIOBE Index’s Programming Language of the Year award, given to the language that sees its ranking increase the most in a 12-month period. 

“Python started at position #3 of the TIOBE index at the beginning of 2021 and left both Java and C behind to become the number one of the TIOBE Index,” reads the note accompanying TIOBE’s latest rankings. “But Python's popularity didn't stop there. It is currently more than 1 percent ahead of the rest. Java's all-time record… is still far away, but Python has it all to become the de facto standard programming language for many domains.”

Indeed, Python is regularly utilized by millions of developers all over the world, according to SlashData, which estimated the Python community at 11.3 million users. “The rise of data science and machine learning (ML) is a clear factor in Python’s popularity,” SlashData stated. 

According to Emsi Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country, the top tech jobs requesting Python skills include DevOps engineer, data scientist, data engineer, software engineer, and backend engineer. In other words, learning Python can open up all kinds of opportunities in a variety of tech roles—including some extraordinarily high-paying ones.

Python recently reached version 3.10.1, an iteration on 3.10.0, which was considered a major milestone, complete with the following tweaks and additions:

  • PEP 623: Deprecate and prepare for the removal of the wstr member in PyUnicodeObject.
  • PEP 604: Allow writing union types as X | Y.
  • PEP 612: Parameter Specification Variables.
  • PEP 626: Precise line numbers for debugging and other tools.
  • PEP 618: Add Optional Length-Checking To zip.
  • bpo-12782: Parenthesized context managers are now officially allowed.
  • PEP 632:  Deprecate distutils module.
  • PEP 613: Explicit Type Aliases
  • PEP 634: Structural Pattern Matching: Specification
  • PEP 635: Structural Pattern Matching: Motivation and Rationale
  • PEP 636: Structural Pattern Matching: Tutorial
  • PEP 644: Require OpenSSL 1.1.1 or newer
  • PEP 624: Remove Py_UNICODE encoder APIs
  • PEP 597: Add optional EncodingWarning

If you want to learn the language, swing by Python.org for its handy beginner’s guide. If you’re a visual learner, Microsoft’s video series, “Python for Beginners,” features dozens of short lessons (most under five minutes in length; none longer than 13 minutes) in the various aspects of Python. As you expand your knowledge, also consider tutorials from Datacamp (whose Introduction to Python course includes 11 videos and 57 exercises), Udemy (which offers a variety of free introduction courses, including one for “absolute beginners”), and Codecademy.And if you have questions, don’t be afraid to swing by Stack Overflow to ask Python experts.