Last week I had a project that was best done with a Python script. So I wrote it in Python. Not a big deal. I usually prefer R but for this project Python was better. The python script produced a bash script which executed a bunch of sql commands to update records. I also still use Perl at times, bless you. My photo managing software I wrote in Perl and until 15 years ago my blog ran entirely on Perl CGI scripts I wrote by hand.
Truth is use the tool that is best for the job, one that you are fluent in but also suits the job well. I really like R for many things I do but I try to keep up on all the latest developments in Python and be knowledgeable on many of the popular libraries. I have read dozens of books on Python even if itβs not my preference.
Maybe my dislike of Python is itβs really popular. But R still has superior graphics β ggplot is amazing β and much better spatial and census libraries. The tidyverse maggitir pipes are great, and all of the tidyverse makes data manipulation easy once you get it. But I also get the advantages of Python β itβs everywhere and most people know what it is β and it can be a lot faster for certain kinds of operations. Outside of academia, people are like what the heck is R.