Technology, in one form or another, touches almost every aspect of our lives (if not all). With technology we learn, connect with friends, share and create content.
Some make a living by promoting or building technology. Millennials are aware that most of the technology we use today is made up of software running on our smartphones and computers.
People who know how to program are basically building the foundation for the future of humanity. By writing code, programmers build software, much like musicians, who, by playing instruments, create music.
Programming is not hard to learn. Many people think of geniuses and “geeks” when they hear the word “programmer”, but the truth is, coding is not as complicated as it seems.
Fun fact: Barack Obama was involved in promoting the code.org movement by teaching young children programming and emphasizing the importance of teaching software development at an early age. He was aware that programming is a 21st-century skill that is important to learn.
Programming can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. But all you really have to do is get started! There are a huge number of online courses where you can learn either solid basics or advanced IT topics.
Great! I like everything written above, but … Where’s the benefit for me? Why would I learn how to code? Is programming really so important to know?
Below we have listed five reasons why you should learn programming as early as “yesterday”!
1. The skill of logical thinking
Learning how to code will teach you how to think analytically, logically, and systematically. Believe me, this skill is worth its weight in gold (or bitcoin ).
You will strengthen your planning and objectivity skills during programming. Coding is a logical process, so you’ll be able to use this knowledge in other aspects of your life, too.
2. You can turn ideas into your own business
By using your newly acquired coding skills, you could develop an app that would go viral!
Snapchat and Instagram are not ideas conceived by geniuses, but rather people like you and me. They are just simple and useful applications that have become very successful and turned into big companies. Who knows, maybe you can write (or program) a new big story too!
3. Superpowers!
Knowing how to code is like having a superpower. Once you learn the fundamentals of programming, you will be able to switch between various programming languages – the fundamentals are the same everywhere.
This knowledge will allow you to tackle any idea that comes to mind. Only the sky is the limit!
Imagine what we could all create if we didn’t have limitations … Imagine what challenges we could solve for ourselves and for others.
4. You can help millions of people
One of the benefits of having the internet is that you can connect and share your knowledge and ideas with anyone in the world. It’s so easy to visit a website or download an app … Millions of people (who are online) can use your app or website. If that’s not the most exciting thing, then I don’t know what it is!
5. You will never be without money again
We live in an uncertain world where such an unexpected thing as a pandemic can shut down many businesses and get its employees jobless overnight.
Programming skills give you a stronger value in the job market and consequently less fear of losing your job.
There is always someone who needs a website, has an idea for a top-notch app, or just needs help fixing some programming problem. The trick is that you need to know how to connect with these people and show yourself to the world.
Your knowledge will be valuable as long as society values technology … Which, it seems, will be for the rest of our existence.
It doesn’t matter at what age and with what coding language – the most important thing is to start. Get yourself a coding book, find a programming tutorial on YouTube, or join a SmartNinja course where you can learn coding live, with a mentor. The world of opportunities is waiting for you!