What is Python?
Python is an interpreted, high-level, and general-purpose programming language.
What is its purpose?
Python is good for handling large amounts of data, from cleaning the data to modeling. Also, due to its popularity, code from Python is more likely to be understood by other departments.
Do I need to know this to get a job/internship?
Actuaries do not use Python as frequently as other programing languages. However, Python is simple to learn, so it can be a great starting point. If you are considering other career paths, such as data science, Python is useful because it is widely used in other fields.
How can I set this up on my device?
Download Python:
Alternative -- Download Anaconda:
What is Anaconda?
Anaconda is a distribution of Python. It is free and open-source and makes package management and deployment simple.
Anaconda comes with many packages already installed and makes it easy to manage environments. Using Python through Anaconda is highly recommended.
Free Resources:
A Practical Introduction to Python
https://www.brianheinold.net/python/A_Practical_Introduction_to_Python_Programming_Heinold.pdf
Google for Education
Python Pandas Tutorial
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/python_pandas/index.htm
Pandas is an additional package for Python and is great for data science