5 Things I Did Differently That Made Me a Better Python Developer

Becoming better at Python wasn’t about learning fancier syntax — it was about shifting how I think and build.

5 Things I Did Differently That Made Me a Better Python Developer

Here are 5 key changes I made — from how I structure projects to how I write functions — that dramatically improved my Python skills and confidence.

When I started learning Python, I did what most beginners do — follow tutorials, build to-do apps, and copy-paste code from Stack Overflow without truly understanding it.

It worked… until it didn’t.

After years of trial, error, and reflection, I made a conscious shift in how I approached Python — not just the language, but the mindset and workflow around it.

And those changes made all the difference.

Here are five things I did differently that leveled up my skills and made me a better Python developer:

1. I Stopped Writing “C Code” in Python

For the longest time, I wrote Python like I was still coding in C or Java. Long loops, verbose logic, manual state management — Python worked that way, but it wasn’t Pythonic.

The breakthrough came when I started studying idiomatic Python:

• Replacing loops with list comprehensions
• Using unpacking to write cleaner assignments
• Leveraging generators to handle large datasets efficiently

# Old way 
squares = [] 
for i in range(10): 
    squares.append(i * i) 
 
# Pythonic way 
squares = [i * i for i in range(10)]

I started reading the “Zen of Python” and internalized its philosophy.

Suddenly, my code was shorter, more readable, and just felt right.

2. I Treated the Standard Library Like a Goldmine

Once I realized Python’s standard library wasn’t just a basic toolkit but a full-on power suite, my development speed exploded.

Instead of reaching for third-party packages, I dug into itertools, collections, functools, datetime, pathlib, and concurrent.futures.

These modules helped me write more elegant, performant, and production-ready code—without extra dependencies.

from collections import defaultdict 
 
# Count occurrences of elements 
counter = defaultdict(int) 
for item in ['a', 'b', 'a', 'c']: 
    counter[item] += 1

I built more, debugged less, and learned to respect the depth Python already gives us out of the box.

3. I Started Writing Tests — Even for Side Projects

For a long time, I believed tests were for “real” developers working on big teams. I was wrong.

Once I started writing unit tests and using pytest, my code quality improved dramatically. Why?

• I caught bugs early
• I became more confident with refactoring
• I documented intent through tests

It forced me to write more modular, decoupled functions and think clearly about edge cases.

def add(a, b): 
    return a + b 
 
def test_add(): 
    assert add(2, 3) == 5 
    assert add(-1, 1) == 0

Testing taught me discipline — and that bled into everything else I coded.

4. I Built Tools, Not Just Apps

Early on, I was obsessed with building apps — web apps, CLI apps, GUI apps. But I never asked myself: what problems do I face daily as a developer?

When I shifted to building tools to automate repetitive tasks — script generators, CLI utilities, file converters — I saw immediate returns on my time investment.

I started seeing Python as a personal assistant more than just a framework for products.

One of the first tools I built scraped data from reports and auto-generated summaries.

What took me 30 minutes now took 3 seconds. That feeling of productivity was addictive.

5. I Joined the Conversation

The Python community is one of the most welcoming out there — but for years, I stayed on the sidelines.

Eventually, I started:

• Answering Python questions on Stack Overflow
• Writing Python tips on Instagram
• Publishing Python tutorials on my blog

I learned that teaching something forces you to understand it more deeply. And receiving feedback from fellow developers helped me grow faster than I ever could alone.

Being part of the conversation gave me clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of belonging in the Python ecosystem.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a better Python developer wasn’t about grinding out thousands of lines of code — it was about shifting my approach.

I started thinking with Python, not against it. I leaned into its strengths, embraced its philosophy, and engaged with its people.

If you’re feeling stuck or stagnant in your Python journey, try doing things a little differently. Sometimes, one small shift can change everything.

If this helped you, give it a 👏 and share it with another Python developer who might be stuck in the same loop.

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