Coding is becoming one of the most valuable skills of our time. In this Digital Age, we are dependent on technology for almost everything we do day-to-day, including education, work, transportation, and communication. Despite our dependence on technology, relatively few people learn coding, the skill which makes so much of this possible.
If you’re looking to learn a new skill, consider coding. Here are the top 5 reasons why learning to coding right now could transform your life and career:
Coding opens up doors to new job opportunities. Consider this: in 2020, there will be 1 million unfilled computer programming jobs in the U.S. And the number of jobs available are only increasing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, software developer jobs are expected to increase by 21% between 2018 and 2028. Plus, computer-related disciplines make up over 60% of projected new jobs in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs.
Software development jobs are among the highest paying careers, with a median pay of $105,590 per year in 2018, and can span almost any field you can imagine. According to David Dodge, CEO of Codakid, “computer science and technology currently impacts nearly every vocation from medicine to law, from teaching to farming, from political science to business management, and from construction to marketing.”
Coding is an amazing asset in virtually any field of work, making it a prime skill for professionals no matter where their interest lies.
Learning how to code gives you the technical skills essential for starting a business or becoming a freelancer. There is immense demand for skills like web design, mobile applications, and online publications, products and courses.
As a freelancer that works from a computer, you are not bound to an office or even a time schedule. You can work while travelling the world, or work from home. You can work from your favourite coffee shop. You are empowered to work on your own terms and schedule.
The extra time you gain from not having to commute, plus from not necessarily having to work full time, will give you the freedom to pursue side hobbies and hustles which a 9-5 office job would not allow for.
Steve Jobs said, “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”
Coding teaches you to think because it enables you to be able to look at a problem and come up with a logical solution. In fact, solving problems is what coding is all about. Coding is essentially teaching a computer how to solve a problem for you. When you code, you must identify a problem, create a plan, identify potential errors, and take steps to work towards that goal. Since something as simple as missing a bracket can cause errors in code, your ability to pay attention to detail will skyrocket. Plus, because coding is a language and there is more than one route to solve the problem, learning to code increases your ability to come up with creative and unique solutions.
All of these problem-solving skills can be extended and applied to real-life problems. By applying this problem-solving framework to non-computer-related problems, you can more effectively solve other challenges in your life, including at work or at home.
It may seem counterintuitive that a computer-based activity can improve interpersonal skills. However, coding projects are usually collaborative. You’ll have to work with coworkers, bosses and other stakeholders. You’ll gain an understanding of how much time and energy certain projects take, making you a reliable team member. You’ll be able to confidently communicate about highly technical topics and be able to understand colleagues that use highly technical jargon such as engineers. With these skills, you can “translate” the technical ideas of your engineering and IT coworkers to the rest of your team.
Coding knowledge goes hand-in-hand with other tech knowledge. Learning to code will increase your digital fluency and make it easier to learn other tech-related skills. In today’s increasingly digital world, knowledge of tech will give you a significant advantage in jobs and other areas of life. Plus, you’ll understand exactly what it takes to build websites and write computer programs, so you can effectively manage tech projects even when you’re not the one working on them. Even knowing the simplest basics of coding can give you valuable insight into how the software works so you can understand and adopt new technologies with ease.
Coding is an important skill that is only becoming more vital for digital literacy today. A survey conducted by Microsoft and YouGov found that 50% of parents see coding and computer programming as the most important subject for their child’s future. Coding for kids and youth coding courses such as Roblox Coding are starting to pop up so that young people can start learning the skills early on.
The skills you learn in coding will help you create the flexible and financially lucrative career of your dreams, enhance your problem-solving and communication skills in coding and everyday life, and improve your tech knowledge so that you can remain digitally literate as technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life.