How Do I Know If Coding Is For Me?


How Do I Know If Coding Is For Me?

Lately, an idea has been gaining ground across various tech social media platforms and communities. It says that; “learn how to code even if you’re not an engineer.” Without a doubt, there are lots of benefits attached to learning how to code even if your career is not anywhere related to engineering.

In case you don’t know, learning how to code can make you more self-sufficient, without necessarily having to wait for help to come around. Besides, learning to code is also a better way to shape your mind – that’s because it’ll always teach you a better way to think. But here’s a burning question; is coding meant for everyone, including that outside of the engineering field?

With time and effort, anybody can learn to code. To know if coding is for you, there are certain signs you need to pay attention to. For instance, if you lack curiosity about the way technology works, you might end up unsuccessful at coding. Besides, a lack of problem-solving skills is also a sign you’ll be bad at coding.

With the lightning speed of technological evolution across the world, one of the best ways to keep up with the flow is to at least learn to program. Unfortunately, “coding” isn’t like “reading or writing” – the basic universal skills that every human possesses. What that means is – not everybody can code. In the rest of this post, you’ll find out more about how to decide whether or not coding is for you.

What Is Coding and Why Should Everyone Consider Learning It?

In today’s world, there has been a lot of hype around coding. So, what exactly is coding and learning how to code worth the stress?

The best definition I can get for coding at the moment is that – it’s an act of writing scripts in the languages that your computer can relate to.

In case you don’t know, computers don’t understand the normal languages that humans speak. If that’s so, then what exactly do computers understand? The only language they understand is machine language, and this consists of the binary codes 0s and 1s. Here’s where the need to code comes into play – giving the computer a human-readable programming language, such as C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL, and many more.

Should everybody consider learning how to code?

To answer this question, I’ll say yes; everybody should try and consider learning how to code. I’m saying that because of the tons of benefits attached to coding.

Think better with coding

In 1995, when answering a question during an interview session with Robert Cringley, Steve Jobs mentioned that “everybody should learn to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” So, the very first reason why coding is important for everybody is that it’ll help us improve our level of thinking.

Stay relevant in today’s world 

Furthermore, another reason to learn how to code is that technology is right everywhere. We are now in the information age (digital age or computer age), where technology is fast evolving.

Today, most jobs that humans used to do in the past decades have now been taken over by machines. It’s safe to say that, in the near future, the world will favor people that are tech-savvy more than anyone else.

Be self-sufficient

As a person without any engineering background, if you end up learning how to code, one thing that’s in it for you is – you’ll be self-sufficient in some areas and be less dependent on engineers.

For instance, as a business person with coding skills, you don’t necessarily need the service of an engineer or programmer before developing a digital app for your business. Of course, this is one in a million benefits of learning how to code.

Does it mean everybody can learn to code?

There is a clear difference between “everybody should consider learning how to code” and “everybody can learn to code.” The former means you should try it out and see if it’s for you.

Of course, you and I know that it’s 100% impossible for everybody to learn how to code. Apart from personal interest, there are some certain characteristics that one needs to possess to be able to code. That said, below are some of the signs to know whether or not coding is for you:

3 Signs to Understand Whether or not Coding Is Truly For You

  1. Curiosity matters

One of the many ways to understand if coding is truly for you is that you need to check your curiosity about computers and how technology works.

So, ask yourself if you truly have a strong interest in programming. Surely, you’ll agree with me that “interest” plays a pivotal role in how successful people become when trying new things out. If your honest answer to the curiosity question is no, I’ll advise you to stop going ahead to learn how to code.

  1. Lack of experimental creativity

Another sign that programming isn’t meant for you is when you lack experimental creativity. In case you don’t know, coding is more of a creative art, meaning you have to be pretty much innovative for you to become successful as a coder.

So, check yourself and see if there’s a part of you that’s experimentally creative. If you lack this attribute, you might end up having issues when you go into programming.

  1. Problem-solving skills

Do you enjoy providing viable solutions to problems that come your way? I’m asking this question because you’ll often be faced with logical issues when coding. If you think you lack problem-solving skills, I’ll advise that you stay as far away from coding as you can.

Conclusion

Let’s face it; coding is one of the best skills that everybody across the world needs. It helps to improve one’s level of reasoning. Apart from that, it also helps us to develop better problem-solving skills, which are much needed in today’s world. That said, for you to enjoy all these benefits and many more that coding offers, you need to learn how to develop the right mentality and interest.

Recent Posts