I am considering dedicating my limited free time to learning the fundamentals of Python and using its capabilities, particularly for web scraping, to become more self-sufficient in implementing my project ideas instead of relying on paid developers.
For people familiar with this programming language, I am curious if it is worthwhile to invest a few months of my time (which I have very little of) in acquiring a basic understanding of Python, or if this plan has significant drawbacks.
It requires a substantial amount of time.
My ultimate recommendation is against it. If you're certain you can't spare the time to delve into it, then it's best not to initiate it at all.
The worthiness of Python knowledge in this industry depends on how you use the data you scrape. Assessing what you do with the data determines if the time invested in learning Python is justified. In my opinion, the answer is affirmative – having knowledge of Python is valuable if you're engaged in this field.
Based on my observation, if you have sufficient time to invest or have the financial means to hire a developer, it would be an obvious choice. If I were looking to enhance my SEO, this would be my initial investment.
I appreciate all of your valuable responses. As expected, different people have provided diverse answers. To clarify my situation, I work as a freelance digital marketing consultant, currently serving multiple long-term clients, which typically consumes around 8 hours of my day (sometimes more or less due to the flexibility in my schedule). Considering unavoidable daily tasks such as eating, sleeping, housework, spending time with my wife, walking the dogs, etc., realistically, I may only have about 5 to 10 hours per week (including part of my weekends) to spare.
Given this limited time frame, my question is whether it would be sufficient to gain a basic understanding within the next 3 months. My specific objectives are to learn how to scrape data from websites, store it in a database or CVS files, and ultimately import it into custom posts in Wordpress. My motivation for acquiring this knowledge stems from my desire to have more control over IT-related tasks, as I currently rely on content writers and occasionally struggle to find competent developers for my projects.
