There’s a reason why coding is considered a major foundation in the tech world and beyond: In today’s workforce, being able to code is a useful skill that looks great on your resume, no matter what industry you’re in. Not to mention, coding touches nearly every aspect of our lives, from the streaming app you use to watch TV to your favorite food delivery platforms.
But beyond being an impressive addition to your resume, there are many reasons to learn to code. Let’s take a look at some of the most notable ones.
1. Grow your career
Developing coding skills can help you find a new job, earn a promotion, or gain access to careers with higher pay and more flexibility. Whether you’re switching careers or are already in the tech industry, building coding skills can create new job opportunities. In particular, jobs requiring tech skills are typically in high demand, and these types of roles also usually have high salaries with flexibility for remote work.
Most importantly, learning to code makes tech careers more accessible for people who may not have had a linear professional path. Take Kate, a Codecademy learner who was a stay-at-home mom before learning to code. She got her start by picking up a kids’ book on HTML. As she put it, she immediately became “hooked,” and after learning more about the foundations of coding on Codecademy, she eventually secured a career as a Full-Stack Developer.
If you are in an industry that doesn’t require coding experience, having the skills could still help you secure or expand your role. Not only can coding skills put you on the path for various different careers (like becoming a Web Developer or Database Administrator), they’re also applicable to plenty of industries, from fashion to advocacy.
2. Join a community
Programming languages are universal, so learning to code provides an opportunity to reach out to and work with programmers across the world. There are many ways to get involved in programming communities via forums like Reddit, GitHub, or the Codecademy Forums. We also have a Codecademy Discord where you can chat with other members, ask questions, and collaborate.
If you’re new to the tech world, it can be helpful to connect with other people in the industry, especially if you work remotely or don’t otherwise get many chances to network. The general coding community is welcoming and provides a great space to expand your learning and skill set.
Being a member of a coding community can also inspire personal connections. Asking for advice from or troubleshooting a problem with people who share your interests is a great way to meet new friends. Not only does this open more opportunities for networking, but it also means you can find support from people who’ve been in your shoes before.
3. Advance your life skills
By developing your coding skills, you can unlock fresh perspectives, especially in problem-solving and logic — and that can help you approach non-coding problems by thinking like a programmer, a.k.a. breaking the problem down into essential pieces to attack it.
Even the day-to-day actions involved in coding can inform new ways of thinking. Coding involves categorizing tags, assigning variables, applying properties, and initializing actions. Doing so may help you understand situations from a logic-based perspective, and that’s useful in plenty of life scenarios.
And of course, learning to code involves lots of practice, focus, and determination. Learning your first programming language can be a great way for you to advance your training techniques. Because you’ll likely have to practice at coding to really master it, you’ll build your capacity for regularly working towards a skill, which can be a useful habit no matter what you’re doing.
4. Bring your ideas to life
Of course, it takes time, but as you get comfortable and understand more about programming languages, the more you can do with technology. Coding enables programmers to get creative — whether that be designing a new algorithm or layering elements. And being able to do so can help make your life easier.
You don’t have to create the next revolutionary tool. It’s okay to build technology that’s new and/or useful to you. For example, try automating everyday tasks to improve your productivity, code your budget, build a wedding website, or maybe make a virtual personal assistant. Have fun prototyping your ideas, and along the way, you may end up creating a decent portfolio of projects that you can share with potential employers.
Learn with us
No matter your experience with code, we have courses that can help you get started or continue your development. Technology is a tool designed for the future, and learning to code is a great way to stay up to speed in the evolving world. As you think about what coding skills can do for your future, explore more about the benefits of coding, browse our course catalog, or get a taste of what our courses are like with our in-depth articles.
And if you’re not sure where to start, take a look at our Sorting Quiz to see which languages best suit your interests and strengths.
