As I said in the title I'm going to increase my knowledge of Python and try get myself a junior python position based on a portfolio.
I live in the UK, are there many jobs here?
What skills are best to learn and show off to get a job?
What else should I know?
Any other advice would be great too. Thanks :)
While building up your technical skill-set is admirable (and not a waste of your time at all), I would make sure you polish these other intangible qualities as well.
In other words: Learn how to make an awesome first impression, and you'll be able to land an entry-level job regardless of your skillset.
For reference, New York has 933. You can also apply to remote roles too, but those tend to be a lot more competitive. Check out remoteok.io for instance.
Figure out what you're good at/want to do. Whatever you pick (e.g. backend Python work), focus really really hard on that and don't spread your skills too thin. You can develop your ancillary skills later, but having one solid core competency gets you through the door.
You'll be tempted to copy/paste your applications and cover letters, but I would recommend you try spending a lot of time and effort on at least a few applications.
Focus on what value you can bring to the company (maybe skills you've developed outside of programming? Do you work better in certain environments (e.g. smaller teams)? etc.), keep working on side projects and fleshing out your Github/portfolio in the meantime, and take a quick deep breath if you get anxious during interviews.
Those are just a few universal guidelines I can think of off the top of my head. Honestly there's a lot I could say on this topic—I even wrote a book on it (https://kokev.in/hired-fast). If you can be more specific about what you're weak with, what you'd like to know, what kind of company you'd prefer, etc. I'd be happy to help you out further!
- Building a good resume. This will be different form someone with more experience but creating a nice looking, well edited resume that focuses on the qualities @MalcomDiggs highlighted.
- Network. Go to Meetups, find out if there is a startup week or something similar in your area. This is very helpful for finding jobs and gives you a chance to meet and learn form more experienced people.
- Don't make job sites your only avenue of search. I have had extremely poor results with them and have had far more luck with HN jobs postings.
- As for technical skills learning at least one framework is probably a good idea. There are tons of them to choose from in Python but learning at least one pretty well will make learning other ones easier. You should be familiar with PEP-8, data structures, yield vs return, comprehensions and a good handle on the built ins. Having a strong grasp on the fundamentals will make learning easier.
2. Constantly apply for jobs requiring 0-2 years experience. Don't be too fussy at the application stage (you can only judge them when you get to interview stage). Not just Python (you can use your Python portfolio to land a Java or Ruby job for example)
3. Going to interviews will give you experience of what questions are asked and how to best ask them. And also what you should have in your portfolio.
4. If jobs are dry you may have to take a job in another language you desire less. But after 2 years maybe you can jump across to Python.
5. The exact advice will depend on how much in demand you are. If you are beating offers with a stick then you can be fussy about language, location pay etc. If the market is dry then you may have to take anything just to get some coding experience you can leverage later.
G'luck!