Youth Incorporated Magazine

Technology is now a way of life. From ‘smart’phones to ‘smart’ homes, literally, everything is tech-based. So, humans too are taking active steps toward becoming smart. Learning to code is one major way in which people, especially the young, are choosing to become smarter. 

Why this change and choice to become ‘smart’?

The job market has been undergoing constant changes, more rapidly, post the COVID-19 pandemic. Today everyone is more dependent on technology and the internet. Recruiters thus prefer having employees who are tech-friendly. 

Further, the need to use various applications, websites, internet platforms, as well as software has pushed people to also become creators of their own technology. Learning to code helps one in building technologies. For this reason, coding has become imperative for every single professional. 

Recognising its need, importance and benefit for students in their future, many schools and institutes have begun to incorporate coding in their curriculum. Tech giants like Microsoft and Google have also joined hands with many educational institutions to offer coding courses at school as well as college levels. 

Students and working professionals must learn to code in order to equip themselves with new-age skills. With the unprecedented advancement of technology, the back-office job market is soon going to come to a standstill. This is going to create a demand for the requirement of professionals holding outstanding new-age skills like coding. 

Apart from acquiring hard skills, learning to code will also help individuals develop soft skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, language acquisition, critical mindset, design thinking and so on. 

Additionally, since we spend most of our time with our electronic gadgets, it’s only sensible to know what lies behind them and how these devices function. You can only understand that when you learn to code. This way, you won’t have to depend on ‘IT professionals’ or ‘Computer engineers’ if you were to face any issue with your devices and software.  

The best part is, that anyone, regardless of age, career field, gender, and educational qualifications can learn to code. You don’t need to be a math or science genius to learn to code. Although you can start coding at any age, the earlier you start learning to code, the better. School students having coding as a part of their curriculum are thus benefited. 

Individuals can learn coding at their own pace. Now, with the remote work culture and work-from-home facility, it’s even better for all to enrol for coding certification courses. One can also learn how to code at home with the abundant resources available online. However, if you want to learn to code professionally, especially to up your career prospects, it’s best to enroll for a proper course. 

Given below are some free online courses you can apply for to learn how to code:

HTML5 Coding Essentials and Best Practices 

Apply here 

CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science

Apply here 

C for Everyone: Programming Fundamentals

Apply here 

Web Design for Everybody: Basics of Web Development and Coding Specialisation

Apply here 

Python for Everybody Specialisation

Apply here 

Coding today is helpful for every student and working professional irrespective of the career field. If you haven’t considered taking up coding, you can start now.