Long gone are the days when coding was a thing that only IT professionals pursued. Coding is one of the most popular and essential skills today. If you want to do well in your career, you will benefit by learning to code, irrespective of the field you choose. Ultimately most professions now require knowledge of basic programming concepts.
Whether you are looking for better job opportunities or to add a new skill to your resume, coding will help you in several ways. Although it may sound intimidating to start coding, you can still start with the basics and then progress from there onwards.
Why is Coding Essential?
Let’s have a look at why learning to code is necessary in today’s era:
- Coding is one of the most in-demand skills in the job market
- Coding allows you to gain freelance projects
- Emerging fields like AI and Data sciences include knowledge of coding
- It can help you secure highly paid jobs
Why Should You Learn To Code?
If you are still not sure of the outcome of learning coding, here are a few reasons for you to understand why it is essential for you to learn how to code:
- Valuable skill
We cannot emphasize enough how important it is in today’s era to have employable skills. Not only do they help you secure a good job, but they also help in solving problems in the industry.
More than securing a high-paying career, programming can help people find solutions for their industry and their communities. For example, during this pandemic, students from all over the world created apps and websites to develop solutions for their communities.
Some created an app that connected patients to facilitate plasma exchange, while others created apps for social awareness. Therefore, learning to code is important and it is not only for adults but it is a valuable skill for kids as well!
If you’re still a student, now is the time to gain as many useful skills as possible to help you in your career. If nothing more, it will help you get some brownie points when you go for interviews!
2. Job security
Apart from IT companies, business companies are now also relying majorly on coding knowledge. Look around you; even things such as fans and TV are now smart. This means that knowledge of programming is essential and basic in almost every field.
Knowledge of coding is essential for your job security as most of the fields now require basic knowledge of coding. Knowledge of coding will help you, but is not limited, in the following fields:
- Finance
- Manufacturing
- Health Care
- Information Technology (IT) worker
- Data Analysts
- Artists and designers
- Engineers
- Scientists
Learn Programming Fundamentals
If you are a beginner, start with the most fundamental steps of coding. Our suggestion for you is to start with Python as its syntax is similar to the English language and is easy to understand. Look for the best Python tutorials online to get started.
You can also start with the language that you have an interest in. if you are into mobile app development, then Kotlin, Java, and Swift your best choices. Moreover, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS will help you in web development, and AI, ML, R, and Python are for more data sciences. You can learn via:
- Learning Websites
Online learning websites are a great way to start learning coding basics. Platforms including Udemy, Codeacademy, and Freecodecamp are useful to learn coding basics. You can choose the course that is most relevant to your requirements. Video Tutorials
2. Video Tutorials
For a step-by-step learning process, we suggest you enroll yourself in video tutorial programs as they are more elaborate. You can also learn the installation of software required and editors used.
Focus on Learning Programming Basics
Some of the basics are essential to learning no matter which language you, later on, choose to do the programming in. you must grasp the basic concepts to master the languages later on. Another aspect to remember in coding is solving problems through logic.
The stronger your problem-solving ability, the better you can code. There is no one solution with programming; it offers multiple solutions, and you have to focus on the most efficient one.
Some of the few basics of programming concepts include:
- Data Types
- Variables
- Functions
- Array or Lists
- Pointers
- If-else statements
- Conditional loops
- Classes and objects
- Hierarchy
- Exception handling
Choose a Project
Now that you have learned the basics of programming, it is essential to build a project that is perfectly running and giving an outcome. If you’re learning web development, then choose to make a website as a project and critically assess it.
If you’re interested in app development, then assign yourself a basic app of calculator or GPS or explore apps for small businesses to see how much you yet have to learn. The more you get into projects, the wider your knowledge base would get.
Learn to Google the Error Correctly
Another problem for coding beginners is that they tend to get stuck with errors and don’t know how to fix them. Well, you’re not the only one coding! Many other people have faced the same issues, so Google your errors to find how people solved those issues.
These were some of the basic steps that you must follow as a beginner of coding. Remember, the more you practice, the better you become at it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Myrah Abrar is a computer science graduate with a passion for web development and digital marketing. She writes blog articles for ApCelero.
