Programming languages all come with a variety of data structures, each suited to specific kinds of jobs. Among the data structures built into Python, the dictionary, or Python dict, stands out.

Unlike Java, Python is multiparadigm and supports OO, procedural, and functional programming styles, he says. (Java recently added functional capabilities in Java 8.) ...

SEE: How to build a successful developer career (free PDF) "If you don't know any programming languages yet, Python is a good place to start. If you already know a different language, it's easy to ...