In the last decade, the tech industry has grown at a fast rate. There is hardly any serious business that doesn’t have a website, a mobile app, or a social media presence.
What this business evolution means is that the people who build and manage these websites and mobile applications are getting more jobs, which is why so many people are trying to get into the tech industry — and it all begins with learning how to code.
So is learning how to code a waste of time? Of course not. In this day and age, coding is very important even if you don’t have any intentions to work in the tech industry.
Employers in many other industries see coding skills as an added advantage when they recruit new workers, it is a highly sought after skill and we will look at the reasons why acquiring it is a good use of your time.
Why learning how to code is not a waste of your time
Not only is it good to make out some time to learn how to code, it is also lucrative in more than one way — here are some of them.
Learning to code can broaden your career prospects
As we already stated before, coding skills are mentioned as an added advantage in many vacancies these days no matter the industry in question. So learning to code will increase your chances of knocking out your fellow applicants and winning high paying jobs.
Even if you already have a comfortable job, your coding skills can increase your chances of career growth as well as financial growth.
Learning to code can make you smarter
No matter how good you are, there is always room for improvement. And coding, even if done for fun alone, can be very beneficial to the brain.
Thanks to the way in which programming languages work, you will need a bit of mathematics and a lot of logical exercise to successfully learn how to code.
As you spend time learning how to work with languages like python, java, javascript, CSS, and even HTML, you will gradually start developing a methodological way of approaching problems.
And when you are not coding, you will find yourself applying these methods into your everyday challenges, which will make you faster and better at solving problems.
This is why some self-development books recommend coding as a way to sharpen your mind.
Learning to code can improve your creativity
If learning how to code can make you smarter, it can definitely unlock your creative side.
As a business person, you can get creative by designing your own portfolio website with basic HTML and CSS skills, which will give you a better and more authoritative visual presence on the internet.
You can also use your coding skills to amplify basic graphic design skills, writing skills, social media content creation, and so much more.
Learning to code can connect you with great minds
Programmers all over the world always have a community, and when you start learning how to code, you are most likely going to be part of one of such communities because your learning platform will recommend one for you.
Apart from making the process of learning how to code easier, your community members will give you the feeling that you are not alone and you can also help those you feel will need it — it is really beautiful.
Many of the smartest people on earth are into programming and you will definitely meet a lot of them in such communities, which will help you improve as a person.
Learning to code can improve your self esteem
No matter your initial state of mind, when you become smarter, get more creative, and join a community of programmers, your confidence will grow.
People will notice how much better you are doing and this will affect how they treat you, especially if you open long lines of code in front of them while wearing a hoodie and acting like you don’t know they are watching.
Automatically, you will also start using more technical terms when you talk about everyday things. This will shoot up the respect people have for you as well as your self esteem.
Learning to code can make you rich and famous
Apart from increasing your salary at work, when you know how to code you can amass real wealth and fame like Mark Zuckerbeg or Elon Musk.
It may sound impossible, but when you have the skills to bring an idea to life, you just might be the person to bring the next software solution that will go viral.
Even if you use just 30 minutes of your time to code everyday, you will eventually learn the technology behind these social media platforms like facebook, payment apps like paypal, fun apps like tik-tok, and so many more. And if you are ambitious enough, you can build one of your own.
If you are not interested in building the next facebook, you can get rich and famous by teaching how to code after you have mastered a certain branch of it. You can start by teaching on learning sites like udemy, them grow on to build your own platform
The list is endless. You can actually gain so much from learning how to code, even during the learning process.
So why do some people still argue that learning to code is a waste of time?
With all the benefits that come with coding, there are still people who believe the entire process is a waste of time. In fact, they claim that coding is an overhyped skill — but they couldn’t be more wrong.
When people say such things about coding, it is usually because they have tried to learn how to code and have discovered that it is not a very easy process. They probably tried to become experts in two months and when it didn’t happen, they felt they wasted the time.
Nothing so beneficial can be learned in such a short period of time. No matter your ambition, coding should be seen as a marathon and not a sprint. If you use an hour each day and join the right community, you will enjoy all the benefits of coding from your day one.
Another reason why some say coding could be a waste of time is because it seems to distract already established professionals.
Like when people who are already good at their field start following the trend and learn how to code even when they have no intention to use the skill.
For example, a Doctor who already works two shifts, earns good money, and loves what he does could be influenced by the trend and start using his spare time to learn how to code just for bragging rights.
In such cases, people see coding as a distraction for already established professionals in non-technical jobs and call for an end to the push for everyone to learn coding.
However you see it, these people have a point, but learning to code is not the waste of time here. There are other skills a person can learn without any intention of using it, and as long as it does not eat into their working hours, they can choose to learn it for fun.
In summary, coding can never be a waste of time. It is way too beneficial and financially lucrative for that.