By Jack Hughes, Contributing Writer
Coding has become an important part of our society. We use code all the time without even thinking about it. I am writing this in Google docs, which uses code. Many people see code as documents, apps and programs.
Learning how to code is becoming an increasingly important skill as the world becomes a more tech-savvy society. As a society, teaching kids to code at earlier and earlier ages could be beneficial. Programming languages are similar to spoken languages – Spanish, French, German. Some people might be discouraged when trying to learn how to code, but it is becoming an increasingly vital skill.
Coding can be related to many different fields. Surprisingly, the structure of writing an essay is similar to how code is commonly modeled at this day. Comparing code to writing an article may seem like a stretch but they share many common features. Such as the use of possession in writing and the use of variables in coding. Also some structures in code are similar to what people do naturally in Excel or other commonly used software. Usually you can somehow relate code to other fields.
The earlier one learns code, the easier languages are to learn and use in the future. Coding helps teach math, writing and even creativity. Contrary to popular belief, coding takes a good imagination. It’s not all math. When people play video games, they’re tapping into the creativity of the developer. The developer has to imagine what he or she wants the user to see.
There are many great places to go learn to code at any age. SoloLearn and Codeacademy offer free online tutorials to learn the basics of many programming languages, from basic logic to more intermediate topics. There are also many places online that offer playgrounds to code in, as well. I would recommend looking for a Python shell.
Burning Glass researchers found jobs that require some form of coding knowledge on average pay up to $22,000 more a year on average than ones that don’t. Also, about half of jobs that pay more than $58,000 a year require some coding skills, according to the study.
Coding is a great skill to have, and this skill is emerging as a standard for many industries. This valuable skill can be easily taught through accessible websites. Learning this skill can help more and more people achieve their career goals and expand their horizons.
Jack Hughes is a contributing writer for The Bona Venture
His email is hughesja13@bonaventure.edu
Photo courtesy of entrepreneur.com
