It’s often said that coding is the future. That everyone should learn to code, that kids should be taught programming fundamentals from the moment they start school, and that the tech industry could face a crisis if the rising demand for coders is not met. To some extent it’s all true. However, only a small number of those who learn to code will actually end up earning a living as a computer programmer, web developer or coding expert. But don’t let that stop you; here are just 5 reasons why you should learn to code, no matter what your career goals or interests.
Boost Your Job Prospects
Improve Your Productivity
Basic programming skills can vastly improve how you get things done. Period. Whether it’s organising a mess of files on your desktop, getting your inbox down to zero every morning, running scripts in excel to save you mindlessly inputting information, or any other time-intensive task, coding can automate it. Investing a handful of hours now can save you days (or maybe even weeks) of stress, boredom and mundane ‘tech housekeeping’ down the line. You’ll be surprised how little you need to know to transform your life. Bonus tip: implement some of the above changes for your co-workers, improve the productivity of your entire team, and you’ll be in a great position to negotiate a pay rise from your boss.
Solve Any Problem
If there is ever a skill that teaches you to focus and think logically, coding is it. It can take hours and hours of puzzling to solve a simple coding problem. The upside? Solving any other type of problem after that is easy peasy! The very nature of programming is based on logic, so tracking tiny changes and making several rounds of modifications is par for the course. All of that is fantastic practice for solving bigger, complex problems of any kind. Funnily enough, it helps if you’re just a little bit lazy – the less motivated you are, the more motivated you’ll be to find fast ways of doing things so you can go back to do doing nothing. Just ask any coder.
Far too many people buy into the stereotype of the ‘nerdy coder’; the pale, skinny, socially awkward guy that doesn’t talk much and wears clothes from 10 years ago. That person who types stuff into a computer all day and night, and probably wouldn’t even know what a paintbrush was if it hit them in a face. That stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. Programmers and developers come from all walks of life, and plenty of them have creative lives as musicians, writers, etc. But as well as that, coding can very easily be considered an art form in itself. Its essence is creation, albeit using logic and rules. But that doesn’t change the fact that coding opens up a world of possibilities, and makes you a more creative person as a result.
Amp Up Your Website
Whether you’re a business owner, a blogger, a hobbyist or a professional freelancer, at some point in time you’ll probably need a website for your endeavours. Anyone can sign up for a free WordPress site and pick a theme; sure it looks good, but it’s definitely not unique. There are millions of other sites around the world just like it, but with different text. The solution? Learn some code and customise it however you like. Coding for the web is easy to pick up and fairly simple to implement once you know how, and that places you in a great position to learn other more complex programming languages and become a fully fledged professional.
There are plenty of other, even better reasons to learn to code – this is just the tip of the iceberg. To find out more, take a look at http://stoneriverelearning.com