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I’d also say that going back to school is a good way to update your life and change your profession. I’m a firm believer in getting government student loans and using them to go to school. They’re cheap, low interest, and the US government is usually very nice about letting you pay them back. I’m not so sure about other places around the world though.

Another take on the student loan system: http://consumerist.com/2010/09/student-loans-gateway-drug-to...

I understand Python gets some mileage in the financial industry, particularly by quant/analyst types. I'm aware that NumPy and matplotlib see a lot of action - are there other open source packages that get a lot of traction? Are there contributions from companies that find their way back into the larger open source ecosystem?

I came to suggest that as an aid to your learning you could focus your attention on using, evaluating, and writing Python packages related to finance. There doesn't seem to be a lot out there: http://pypi.python.org/pypi?%3Aaction=search&term=financ...

Examining packages like this where you already have a handle on what the code is supposed to be doing might be a good way to consume a lot of (hopefully some good, and probably a lot of not so good) Python code. Regardless of if you find a local mentor, contributing to or writing your own open source packages should prove to be a very valuable experience. Perhaps you could even start a package or set of general packages related to finance. Sort of like what SciPy is to NumPy. (FiPy?)

I've never worried much about which language I use to GET hi. As long as the end result is same, everyone should be feeling good.

You didn't specify your sample size and I won't vouch for what people I don't know tell you. You can take it as whatever you'd like. Next you'll be saying the Django tutorial is the standard way to lay out projects. It's in the documentation, right?

"Git standard workflow"? Where'd you get that notion from? Supposing there is one, care to share?

If you're looking for ways to help convince management to use Python there are some good tidbits in here: http://blip.tv/file/3041158

We also talk about hiring and training people who don't have Python backgrounds but have the right skill sets to transition.

"Tell me about your Python experience" "Well I started learning it about a week ago - I think I've pretty well mastered it." "Thanks, we'll get back to you."