Computer programming can also be referred as software development, programming or coding, although they do not all refer to the exact same thing. Computer programming is the process by which someone with all the qualifications (a computer programmer) writes instructions to be executed by a computer; in short, writing code to solve a problem. Computer programming is often perceived to be quite complicated by many. This, in actual fact is not necessarily the case. Despite the large amount of time you will be spending in front of your computer screen, looking a code, coding is not so difficult. Look at this example; us as humans make decisions on a daily basis: before going out to work in the morning you look at the weather and you tell yourself, “IF it’s raining THEN I’ve got to go grab my umbrella”. In doing that you have created what would be called an IF-Statement in the world of programming. A computer program, in a nutshell is just a combination of Mathematics and a couple of If-Statements (decision-making).
If you are able to grasp all the basic concepts of a particular programming language, you’re good to go, but being able to understand the concepts and apply them in such a manner that you use them to build anything that fills a gap within your customer’s needs is a skill that is learnt through patience, dedication and hard work. Learning code is basically like learning another language. Before you go and do a programming course, ask yourself why you want to become a programmer. Being a programmer will force you to constantly evolve, in terms of skill. This is because programming languages are constantly changing every couple of years. If you’re not the type of person that would be interested in life-long learning, then it is highly suggested that you do not take anything within the computer programming field as a career option. If you don’t go in with the right habits and skills, you’re going to mess yourself up and end up in a state of confusion. But if you do enjoy programming, consider yourself to be good at software development and are able to constantly work on evolving your skills, then computer programming would be quite a good option for you. You will have to be okay with putting up with a whole lot of hell, living in code 40+ hours a week is just a tip of the iceberg. You will also find yourself struggling to find appropriate managers for your company, if you are, at some point, the owner of one. The characteristics you would be looking for in a manager, you are less likely to find in a tech savvy programmer who only cares about his computer screen and a cup of coffee. As a programmer you find yourself in situations whereby you’ll be forced to work over time, just so that you can meet a deadline, and another downside to that is the fact that the chances of you getting paid for overtime are almost non-existent. In order for you to be happy and successful as a computer programmer you have to make sure that you are doing it because you have passion for coding or enjoy collaborating and meeting with new people and not plainly because you want a big fat cheque at the end of each month.
Coding is a source of power for our digital world, thus making it a vitally important part in each of our lives. Any form of website, desktop app, mobile app or even electrical appliance has to get instructions to perform their respective tasks from somewhere, therefore making them dependent on some form of code to operate. This is what makes programming the pillar of the digital age. Due to this reason there are high chances that we will see an increase in jobs within the Computer Sciences field, with only just a fraction of those being fully qualified. Most jobs will be affected and are already beginning to be affected by the need for and understanding in coding. There may be a time where jobs than have no link to Computer Science will be taken over by Artificial Intelligence, and we are already starting to see slow phasing in to that era. Fields such as, but not limited to Medicine, Accounting, etc. may be having robotics invade and perform those respective tasks, leaving professionals stranded and jobless. Imagine a machine that hasn’t gotten all the qualifications, but can do your job, 10 times better than you!
In conclusion, learning code comes with many benefits and can allow you to develop cognitive skills and learn methodical, problem-solving skills in a way that an actual computer would. It can teach you how to take a problem and break it down into manageable chucks so that it can be easily dealt with.