Perhaps a decade ago – maybe even less – coding was considered an oddity, a skill only the geeks thought to gain, and that too for their personal interest. Although learning this skill must have brought benefits, it wasn’t considered a prized asset, much less a necessary one, to excel in one’s career.
Today the situation is different. Digitalization has made coding a critical and valuable skill you should possess. While coding does sound like a technical skill, it is simply the language of computers, much like any other language. Knowing the role technology plays in today’s world, it is easy to understand why learning the language of computers has become this important. If you are new to the field but are considering mastering the art, go for it.
Not only does coding help employees and the workforce, but also students. Anyone even remotely concerned with technology can benefit from coding. The following are compelling benefits of learning to code in today’s highly digitalized era.
1. You can access high-paying coding and programming jobs
As the significance of coding skills skyrockets with the ever-increasing digitalization, the earning potential in programming and coding professions has also multiplied. There is excellent career potential in the technology sector, coding in particular, from computer programming, web development, and software development to database administration and data science – there are numerous options you can sift through.
In 2019, the average salary across occupations was $39,810, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that for web developers, network and computer administrators, computer programmers, database administrators, and software developers, the wage was more than $70,000 (in 2019).
To land a job in this high-paying sector, you would need a relevant degree but additional certification, like an online coding program to give you an edge over other prospective employees.
2. There is excellent scope in coding-based jobs
The demand for coders is high and isn’t likely to drop any time soon; the future projections for employment growth suggest a much higher projection for jobs like web development, database administration, and software development than the national average of 5%.
The profession also offers continuous growth potential; you can climb higher on the professional ladder, from junior developer to senior developer, lead architect, mid-level manager, and beyond. You can polish your skills and develop your CV with additional certificates and learning opportunities to make it to higher-level posts.
3. Coding skills are helpful in other jobs as well
Coding can be surprisingly beneficial in other seemingly unrelated jobs; it doesn’t always have to be the highly technical coding-related fields only. Once you have the necessary coding skills, you can put them to good use in your personal business or organization.
For instance, with the ability to code, you can create tools to automate daily tasks that involve money management. Similarly, you can code advertising algorithms to save the time and money you spend buying software. If you have coding skills on your CV, you can make your job application stand out even for professions not directly concerned with coding or programming.
4. You can work as a freelance programmer
Other than getting hired in an organization as a programmer or coder, you can go for freelance programming, a much more flexible option. Freelancers are self-employed service providers and offer their work to different companies. They get into part-time or full-time, mostly temporary contracts with different clients.
With the necessary coding and programming skills, you can reach out to clients to write their codes and create software and mobile apps. Unlike full-time office jobs, freelancing gives you the flexibility and freedom to design your own schedule.
Even when hired by an organization, you can work as a part-time freelancer alongside your primary job. Coding is a great idea, be it a primary source of income or a side job.
5. You can polish your problem-solving skills with coding
Coding is a great way to develop broader and more wide-ranging problem-solving skills. Steve Jobs stated that learning coding teaches individuals to ‘think’ and classified it as a liberal art. Beyond giving you the technical skill of programming, learning computer language polish your thinking and assists you in logical thinking.
Coding is simply the process of directing a computer to follow your guidelines. These guidelines must be outlined to the finest of detail and carefully planned. When coding highly complex tasks, you must first methodically consider each aspect of the problem.
Coding is a demanding task that requires you to look at issues from various angles, break down the problem into smaller and more manageable parts (called decomposition), and use your creativity to innovate new ideas.
6. Give your ideas life
Not everyone can bring their ideas to life. Most of us don’t have the technical tools to give our innovative ideas life. But coding is a beautiful way to use the digital platform to work on personal projects based on your own ideas. Once you know the basics of programming and polish your skills, you can create websites, software, applications, and online tools and introduce them to the market.
7. There is great diversity in the field
Computer languages are numerous and diverse. There are hundreds of coding languages that can be used for various tasks. There are many options, from HTML, JavaScript, and Java to Python and SQL.
If you pursue this field without it being a part of your degree, you can learn any language that interests you the most. You can perform different tasks with these languages, like creating software programs, making websites and games, designing applications, etc.
Final words
If you are yet undecided about learning to code, it is about time you make up your mind and just go for it! The benefits are numerous, and with this skill in your repertoire, you can expand your career opportunities, improve your CV, work as a freelance programmer, polish your problem-solving skills, and bring your ideas to life.
