I'm a full stack developer currently diving into the MERN stack and I'm considering picking up Python specifically for web scraping and automation as a side project. I've been dedicating 1-2 hours a day to learning, but I've noticed a lot of AI tools around that can handle similar tasks. This has made me wonder if there's still value in learning automation myself, especially since I find it interesting. What approach do you think I should take, given these thoughts?
6 Answers
Remember, automation is really just a part of programming. Since you're already a full stack developer, you likely have a lot of the necessary skills already.
Honestly, even if AI can do some automation, it’s worth learning just to gain new skills. Plus, it’ll be applicable in most jobs you might have in the future. Understanding automation will just give you a leg up in your career.
Web scraping is usually more of a personal project thing than a job requirement. It's okay if you're interested in it, but I wouldn't bank on it being a major part of your work. Automation can mean different things, so if you clarify what you want to automate, that would help. Just keep in mind, do you really want to incorporate web scraping into what you do?
AI can automate a lot, but can it do those tasks well? That's really the question. For simple tasks, AI can help out, but for anything more complex, you'll definitely need a solid understanding of programming yourself.
When you think about learning automation, what specifically do you mean? If you’re considering using Python, then there are definitely some great libraries out there that can help you!
I'm mainly interested in doing automation with Python because it's what I've seen people recommend.
You can do automation in any programming language, not just Python. If you’re already comfortable with JavaScript, you might find tools like Selenium helpful for web scraping since you can interact with web pages directly.
I've wanted to get into web scraping since 2022 and was hoping to find ways to incorporate it into my projects, even if it's not for a job.