7 types of Python projects for your portfolio
Learn about top 7 Python portfolio projects to catch your potential employer’s attention, with tips on how to improve your Python portfolio.
Introduction
Python is a versatile language that you can use for building all sorts of applications. In this article, we're going to talk about the importance of having a Python projects portfolio and also some ideas of projects that you can include in it.
Why should you have a Python projects portfolio?
If you're in the market for a new role as a Python engineer, you need to have a way of showcasing your skills and abilities to potential employers. One way of doing this is by having a solid portfolio that contains examples of your work.
A portfolio gives employers an insight into your skills and allows them to see the practical applications of your knowledge. It also shows that you're capable of more than just writing code — you can also design, test, and deploy applications.
Including Python projects in your software engineer portfolio is an excellent way of showing off your abilities as a developer. Not only will it demonstrate your technical skills, but it will also show that you're familiar with one of the most popular programming languages in the world.
A Python project portfolio is essential for several reasons. First, it shows potential employers that you can build complex applications in Python. Second, it helps you keep your skills up-to-date and sharp. And finally, it's a great way to learn new technologies and libraries that you can use in your future projects.
Top Python portfolio projects ideas
There are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing a project for your portfolio. However, it's essential to select a project that is both challenging and interesting to you. Here are some ideas to get you started:
1. Data analysis and visualization project
To make solid business decisions, organizations need to collect a lot of data. And not just any data — good quality data that is easy to read and understand. Python provides many libraries specifically for data visualization. These tools will help you transform your mass of data into something much more manageable ... and presentable!
If you're looking to showcase your data analysis and visualization skills, then consider building a project that analyzes and visualizes data from a public dataset. A great project to undertake would be creating a dashboard in Python that can automatically generate and update visualizations in real time according to the data set you select. Explore these project ideas for business analysis portfolios as there’s a slight cross-over in competencies.
2. Web scraping project
Web scraping is a great way to gather data from sources that don't have an API or are difficult to access otherwise. A great example of this is the creation of a content aggregator. If you want to collect content from online sources for the purpose of reuse or resale, then a content aggregator is the tool that you need.
Content aggregators can be used to collect web content, media content, and applications. They are especially useful in fields such as data science or computer science for which having access to high-quality content and data is essential.
3. Deep learning project
Advanced machine learning models, called neural networks, have been making waves in the tech world for a few years now. Neural networks are modeled after the human brain and allow machines to keep learning by adding new information into their existing algorithm.
Python is a powerful language for deep learning, and frameworks like Keras and TensorFlow make it even more versatile. By learning Python and using these frameworks to build your own neural networks, you'll be ahead of the curve in a rapidly growing field!
4. Web applications
Web applications are one of the most popular types of Python projects and look really good in web development portfolios. You can use Python in many different ways online, such as:
- Building a website: You can use Python to create a basic HTML website fairly easily. However, Python also gives you the power to create interactive sites like currency converters and time zone calculators.
- Web crawler: A web crawler is a script that browses the World Wide Web in a predetermined, automated manner. This is usually done to find new or updated pages for indexing. With Python you can program your crawler to do all kinds of cool things like extract data from sites, email you when something interesting happens, or even automatically fill out forms.
5. URL shortener
If a website's URL is too long, it can be hard to share with friends. A URL shortener makes web addresses shorter so they're easier to remember and share. There are many URL shorteners available online, but only some of them create user-friendly links. This project will involve building a URL shortener that generates user-friendly links.
The URL shortener should be able to:
- Take in a long URL and generate a short, unique code for the URL
- Store the long URL and corresponding shortcode in a database
- When given the short code, the URL shortener should be able to look up the corresponding long URL in the database and redirect users to the appropriate site
6. Organizing files
Python can automate time-consuming tasks such as file organization on your computer. With a Python script, you could copy, rename, or move hundreds of files in just a few seconds. For example, if you want to tag all of your music files and log that metadata into a database, you could do it the long way by opening each song in your media player one-by-one and manually adding all the tags. Or, you could take the easy route and write a Python script to do it for you!
Python can also help you organize your online life too. Metadata, broken links, regular expressions, and locked databases — sounds like a lot of technical speak that is guaranteed to leave your head spinning. If you're looking for an easier way to manage your bookmarks, look no further than Python. By using this program, you can bypass all the tedious exporting and importing often required by other bookmark management software. And what's more? This program offers additional features, such as the ability to auto-tag bookmarks with metadata and fix broken links!
7. Cryptocurrency trading
Technology is advancing every day, especially in the realm of cryptocurrency and blockchain. By learning Python, you can try your hand at some Web 3.0 technology by building a crypto trading bot with Python. Your bot will always be active and won't need your supervision; it will act swiftly on every opportunity to buy or sell when prices are favorable. If you're really committed, you can use machine learning algorithms to predict when it is the best time to trade.
How to improve your Python portfolio
Python is an incredibly versatile language that you can use to build just about anything you want. Because of its popularity, Python is also in high demand by employers. To make your Python portfolio even more attractive to potential employers, here are a few things you can do:
Build projects for real-world applications
Don't just build projects for the sake of building projects. Make sure your projects are geared towards solving real-world problems. This could be anything from creating a web application that helps people book appointments to developing a machine-learning algorithm that predicts the stock market. Not only will this make your portfolio more impressive, but it will also give you a better understanding of how to use Python in the real world.
Write clean and readable code
Code that is well-written and easy to read is always going to be more impressive than code that is messy and difficult to understand. When working on a project, take the time to write clean and readable code. This will make it easier for others to follow your logic, and it will also make your projects look more professional.
Get involved in the Python community
One of the best ways to improve your Python skills is to get involved in the Python community. There are many different ways to do this, but some of the most popular include attending Python meetups, participating in online forums, and contributing to open-source projects. By getting involved in the community, you'll not only learn from other experienced Python developers, but you'll also have a chance to share your own knowledge and experience with others.
Stay up to date
Python is an ever-evolving language, which means that new features and improvements are being made all the time. In order to keep your Python skills up-to-date, it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest news and developments in the Python world. One of the best ways to do this is to subscribe to one or more of the many Python mailing lists. Alternatively, you can also follow relevant bloggers and influencers on social media platforms like Twitter.
Practice, practice, practice
Lastly, the best way to improve your Python skills is to practice using the language as much as possible. The more you use Python, the more comfortable you'll become with its syntax and constructs. And, if you ever get stuck, there's always the Python community to turn to for help and support.
So there you have it! These are just a few of the many things you can do to improve your Python skills along with the quality of your portfolio. As the next step, browse our open tech jobs and feel free to apply if you find the requirements in the job description attractive.