9 V May 2021

https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2021.34185
 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.429
Volume 9 Issue V May 2021- Available at www.ijraset.com

Generation Z Students: Why Python Programming

is their Best Bet…
Aadhitya Sriram
th
12 std student, The PSBB Millennium School, Gerugambakkam, Chennai – 602101.

Abstract: Computers have become an integral part of one’s life. From the time, the programmable computers were invented in
1940s, the knowledge and usage of the computer programming has undergone a paradigm change. Newer programming
languages and simplified programming codes have made the art of programming more user-friendly. With artificial intelligence
and cloud computing being an integral part of everyone’s software armamentarium, the digitalization, especially the
programming languages, have brought people around the whole business world, closer.
Python is a programming language, that has become one of the much sought-after language in the recent past. The ease of
usage, beginner friendly programs, scalability and reproducibility have made it a popular language amongst the programmers
all over the world. In this manuscript, I shall highlight the user-friendly nature of Python language and also discuss how this
language is best suited for Generation Z students across the world.
Keywords: program, python, computer, software, javaScript

I. INTRODUCTION
It is needless to say that computers are ubiquitous and indispensible in today’s fast paced world. But how many of us would know
that the use of computers today is far different from what its inventors envisaged them to be? In the early 1820s, just before the
beginning of the first industrial revolution, a decrease in need for mathematicians who were used as human calculators was
observed. This was because of the invention of the ‘Difference engine’ in 1822 which was able to calculate polynomial functions in
lesser time. This inspired Charles Babbage to invent the Analytical engine (1834) which was the first machine that relied on basic
arithmetic logic. This in turn led to further innovations in the 20th century even though the project was left unfinished. This is why
Charles Babbage is credited to be the Father of computers. But these days, computers have become an integral part of everyone’s
lives and we use them to talk text, study, watch movies and TV shows and listen to music.
Programmable computers were first invented only in the 1940s. They were the result of a culminated effort of all the computer
scientists spanning over centuries. It was the ENIAC which was developed using binary and Boolean logic and was meant to be a
direct successor of the Turing machine. It was the most advanced computer of that time and was capable of many calculations per
second. With this invention the first-generation of computers were born [1].
It is this rich history that motivates and inspires me and many of the computer scientists to learn and advance in the field of
computer science to make life easier and simple for the human race. In this manuscript we will be discussing about programming in
general and the growing need (amongst the Generation Z students) for learning Python as a programming language.

II. WHO BELONGS TO GEN Z?

From the late 1800s till date, every 15 to 20 years is classified as one generation. Fig 1 illustrates the various generations that we
have seen over the past century. The Millennial generation that preceded the Gen Z is also called as Generation Y.

Fig 1: Summary of various generations in the past 150 years

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved 490

 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.429
Volume 9 Issue V May 2021- Available at www.ijraset.com

Gen Z is a collective cohort consisting of all those who are born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s. This group of members
falls between the Millennial and the Gen alpha generations [2]. The peculiarity of this Gen Z is that they grew up with portable
digital devices and easy access to internet around them. Turner called them as, “Digital natives”, as they grew amidst a rapidly
changing digital technology [3]. An informal term that describes Gen Z members is, ‘Zoomers’.
There is still a lack of consensus on who all belong to the Generation Z. Many accept those borne after 1993 as Gen Z. Randstad
Canada decribes those born between 1994 and 2010 as Gen Z. McCrindle Research centre, Australia defines those born between
1995 and 2009 to be belonging to this generation. McKinsey, in his article on Generation Z and its implications for companies,
describes those born between 1995 and 2010 to be belonging to this generation. Forrester, in his research on Gen Z, called those
born after 1997 to be Gen Z members.
Teaching Generation Z students has got its own inherent challenges too. Cilliers, in his study on the challenges faced in teaching this
generation students, observed that the main challenge was to adopt newer strategies beyond the traditional teaching-learning
methods [4, 5].

III. WHAT EXACTLY IS PROGRAMMING?

Programming is a way of communication with computers. It is basically writing instructions in a language that is easily
understandable to any digital device which is very much similar to vocal languages used by humans. And just like how we have
many different languages to communicate with each other, we have many different programming languages too. Some of these are
explained below.
For example, if you want to host a server using the internet that is accessible to all, you need to use a Database to store all the data
that you want to share. And often we deal with billions and trillions of data in the world. In order to make things simple and retrieve
data almost immediately, we use query languages connected to a database manager. One of the most common and popular is
mySQL.
Creation of a website is not so difficult. All websites today have 3 major components, these are HTML, CSS and JS. HTML (Hyper
Text Markup Language) allows us to write code and display it as a website. But it only comes with basic webpage designs. In order
to make a website more attractive and appealing, we use CSS (Cascading style sheets) which offers much more styling techniques.
Finally, implementation of JavaScript enables the webpage to have sliding, rolling and popup animations, which further enhances
the interactivity to a website. We have programmers who are involved in Machine learning, Artificial intelligence, Data analysis,
Software development, Full stack developing, Ethical hacking, Database managing, and much, much more.

IV. MY EXPERIENCE (AS GEN Z) WITH PROGRAMMING

I was always fascinated by the digital world. I would look up to websites and wonder how these might have been created. And all
that curiousness finally got an answer when I was in my first year of high school. We were taught the fundamentals of creating a
webpage using HTML and I immediately got drawn into it. When I created my first webpage, I felt a door that led to infinite
possibilities open up in front of me. I spent many hours practicing and remembering the code for making a proper webpage and I
enjoyed it.
And then in the second year of high school, we learnt CSS which gave us the power to manipulate and design the webpage elements
in whatever way we wanted to. At this point we all felt like programming Pros until I was introduced to C. Yes, it’s the letter C. Its
one of the oldest programming languages that is still implemented in many of the existing operating systems such as Microsoft
windows, Linux, Mac operating systems and are found in embedded systems.
I was thrown overboard by how different it was from HTML and CSS. This is how I got a glimpse of what real programming felt
like. And I was at first overwhelmed by the complicated code structure of the language. But soon it got better as I learnt to write
few basic programs.
But it wasn’t until my 3rd year of high-school, did I get into python. After learning a bit of C-language, we were taught core-python
after a long break due to the global pandemic in 2020. Python did not seem that difficult at first but it did take a while for me to get
used to actual programming.

V. PYTHON AND ITS LOGO

Python is a programming language, invented by Guido Van Rossum in 1991. Various programming paradigms are being used in this
language. The logo of Python was designed by Tim Parkin and is the registered trademark of Python Software Foundation. Fig 2
depicts the logo of python.

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved 491

 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.429
Volume 9 Issue V May 2021- Available at www.ijraset.com

Fig 2: Python logo with the emblem and transcript.

The speciality of this logo is its instantly recognizable visual identity. The logo is an iconic emblem, with an image on the left and
the transcription on the right. The image comprises of coloured (blue and yellow) twin snakes, with a broad head and short tail, each
facing opposite directions (cranial and caudal). The inspiration for this logo is said to have been derived from the ancient Mayan
drawings. The transcription on the right of the logo is all in lowercase, with the upper horizontal bar of the alphabets ‘T’ and ‘H’
being diagonally slit.

VI. HOW NOT TO GET INTIMIDATED BY PROGRAMMING USING PYTHON?

If you are new to programming or if you have just started to code, then chances are that all this might seem too much to
comprehend. But the most important analogy to remember that was cited earlier is that these programming languages are just like
vocal languages. One will definitely get better if he/she really wants to speak in that language. All these are really and truly
interesting to learn. And finally, we all have an ace up our sleeves. And that ace is PYTHON.
Python is a beginner friendly language that anyone and everyone can learn. According to popularity ranking, python is the fastest
growing, one of the most popular languages, fastest growing and most demanded by companies [6]. Many companies such as
Netflix, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify etc. have some or most of its code written in python. What makes it interesting is that
its code structure is the most simple and comprehensible than all the other languages out there. Compared to other programming
languages like JavaScript, C++, Java, Pearl, etc., Python is far more superior in terms of processing speed and the time taken to
write a program.
And also, Python has it all. One can create webpage applications, software applications, automated chat bots, web scrapping tools
and much more. But where python shines the most is when it comes to Machine learning, Artificial intelligence through neural
networks and Data visualization. These concepts require an in depth understanding of how computers systems and the language
itself work and hence we will not be discussing about them in this manuscript.
In my opinion python is the best beginner-friendly language and we can venture out later on once we are familiarized with basic
programming concepts. Programming is not difficult in any way. It is quite tough to understand what exactly is happening behind
the scenes but once we figure it out everyone can code like a champion. Following is an example that illustrates the simplicity and
ease of coding in python language.

Fig 3: Comparison between the code structures of three different coding languages, namely C++ (3a), JAVA (3b) and Python (3c)

The above figure illustrates the ease of programming in python language. A simple mathematical calculation involving addition of
two inputted integers is shown in Fig 3. Though all 3 different languages arrive at the common fixed output, the programming with
python is simple, straight-forward, less time consuming, less cumbersome, user-friendly and appears elegant.

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved 492

 International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.429
Volume 9 Issue V May 2021- Available at www.ijraset.com

VII. CONCLUSIONS
The Gen Z members appear to be the most competitive and competent of all generations. Their ability to pick up newer
developments and innovations quicker than their elder peers makes them more unique and distinctive. This generation is more
ambitious and striving to achieve greater heights. Python programming, because of its ubiquitous nature, user-friendly application,
simplicity and scalability makes it arguably one of the most popular and most preferred object-oriented programming language.
Being one of the most versatile, dynamic and durable language, Python programming makes it best suited for generation Z students.

REFERENCES
[1] Mahoney M. The histories of computing(s). Interdisciplinary Science Reviews 2005; 30(2):119-135.
[2] Csobanka, Z.E. (2016). The Z Generation. Acta Technologica Dubnicae, 6(2), 63–76.
[3] Turner, Anthony (2015). "Generation Z: Technology And Social Interest". Journal of Individual Psychology. 71 (2): 103–113.
[4] Cilliers, E.J. (2017). The challenge of teaching generation Z. People: International Journal of Social Sciences, 3(1), 188–198.
[5] Singh, A.P., Dangmei, J. (2016). Understanding the generation Z: the future workforce. South-Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3(3), 1–5.
[6] Javed A, Zaman M, Uddin M, Nusrat T. An Analysis on Python Programming Language Demand and Its Recent Trend in Bangladesh. Proceedings of the 8th
International Conference on Computing and Pattern Recognition. 2019 Oct; 458-465.

©IJRASET: All Rights are Reserved 493