I cannot say about the US, but Python & Pandas are quite sought after in Europe.

I wonder if the problem is that you have to find the first role in order to show that you have some actual & recent, on-hands experience. I've heard other people coming back to work with similar stories (in wildly different industries).

I think the suggestion of working for a non-profit is quite good. I would also suggest you to network; go to meetups in your area as that will potentially put you in front of people who are responsible for hiring.