Very open ended question. So YMMV. Universal stuff: I’d say knowing your way around database connection packages is pretty universal (psycopg2, sqlalchemy, pymysql, etc). Comfort with an HTTP request package (like requests) is pretty universal. some cloud provider package/lib like boto3(AWS) Learn how to write unit tests. pytest and coverage packages are straight forward enough to set up. venv environment setup and usage to look like you know what you’re doing. set up a logger for your app so logs look good and the package handles the formatting for you. Backend / App Dev: If you want to be a backend/API dev, know how to work with flask, Django, or fastapi. Know how to write OOP Python classes. Understand common project structures for Python projects of many different sizes. Data analytics/engineering/science pandas package is a must numpy is good to know pyspark if you’re interested in big data The list goes on. This is too generic a question to go into a ton of detail, so maybe tighten the scope a little bit to get better answers if they don’t end up being very helpful. But a good rule of thumb is that anything that you gloss over as “less important” or “not with your time” when you’re new to programming is usually what separates the newbs from the pros (looking at you, testing, logging, project structure, etc, etc). It’s about being thorough the first time and doing things your future self will thank you for. More on reddit.com

Personally, I'd not be looking for specific Python skills, more showing they have that "programmer's" mindset. I.e. regardless of the language, look for the ability to break a problem up into smaller parts, to think logically, to use the right tool for the job etc. With a junior role they have a lot to learn in terms of the specifics of the language and advanced skills, but having a solid personality to build upon is an absolute must IMO. More on reddit.com

In Australia, entry level roles for a software engineer are around $40k USD. At the top end companies, maybe $65-80k USD for a fresh grad position. Most companies I see don’t hire “Python Developer” but rather “Software Engineer” who can do Python. DSA skills are usually tested in these roles. More on reddit.com

You will probably find that varies wildly from company to company. I assigned our interns a task to convert a couple of relatively complex Korn shell scripts to Python. I felt that this was the best way to get them familiar with some aspects of our data warehouse (specifically metadata management) as well as get their feet wet with Unix scripting and Python at the same time. I obviously let them know that they could ask questions of me at any time, and scheduled bi-weekly meetings to check on progress and resolve any issues. It worked out well, I think. We will be offering both of them permanent positions after graduation. More on reddit.com