Over the past two decades, we’ve seen how fast technology has evolved. You can see technology everywhere you go, from your phone down to the smart appliances you can tell to make your coffee or clean your room. And this is why learning coding is such a powerful and valuable skill in the tech space for years to come.
Learning how to code is becoming a widely popular skill, and most businesses are now employing people with basic knowledge in coding languages, such as HTML and Java.
Coding is so popular that it’s becoming one of the most in-demand skills to learn in the market today.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know if you’re planning to start learning how to code and why it’s an excellent skill for children to learn at an early age!
Table of Contents
What is Coding?
In layman’s terms, coding is telling a computer what to do. When you code, you use a computer programming language to give computers and other machines a set of instructions to follow. With coding, you can tell a machine what actions to perform.
Coding is how humans communicate with computers. Coding also allows us to create computer software programs, including applications and operating systems.
How Does Coding Work?
To understand how coding works for machines, we’ll tell you first what transistors are and how they work.
Computers contain billions of transistors, just like the human brain’s neurons.
A computer only comprehends two types of data to run: on and off.
Transistors function like on and off switches. The 0s and 1s in your computer’s binary code tell your switches to turn on or off.
As a result, coding is born! Why? Because it’s impossible to type billions of 1s and 0s as a set of instructions for your computer to run.
With these codes, programmers can send specific commands to computers.
How Do You Start Coding?
If you’re an adult planning to learn how to code, you could start learning to code using coding applications.
Here are some of the top-performing applications to help you learn how to code:
- Programming Hub
- DataCamp
- Enki
- Encode
- Learn Web Development
You may also find mobile apps that let you practice your newly-learned programming skills.
Most online apps allow you to complete lessons anytime on the go. You can even find various coding websites that let you access a comprehensive database of tutorial content.
You can also try coding boot camps. Bootcamps are like short-term masterclasses with a specialized curriculum based on what coding language you want to learn.
With boot camps, you can quickly contact expert educators and coding language, teachers. You can also find the best opportunities to hone your coding skills.
But what if you want to introduce coding to young children? How would you do that?
At CodaKid, we figured out the best way to teach coding for kids. Through video games!
We use popular games like Roblox and Minecraft to teach kids coding foundations like conditionals, loops, variables, parameters, and arrays for kids ages 8-18.
What Other Skills Can I Learn From Coding?
You can learn both hard and soft skills by learning coding languages. After all, it’s not just about learning how to give computers a command they’ll have to follow. Coding also requires patience and hard work.
Here are some skills you naturally acquire when you learn to code.
Problem Solving: Learning a programming language might be for you if you enjoy puzzles or solving problems through patterns.
Logic: Coding languages let you follow sets of rules. This enhances your logical thinking to go through challenges and predict the outcome based on the current data.
Mathematical abilities: Coding can sometimes require a decent grasp of maths to understand an operation. If you’re good at math or are interested in it, you will enjoy learning to code!
Computational Thinking: While this may sound like doing mental math, computational thinking allows you to come up with bite-sized solutions to solve a problem. With coding, you will need to think outside the box and create patterns to help the machine perform actions with your desired outcome.
What Coding Language Is Best for Beginners?
Unlike the human language, coding languages are not the usual humans communicate. For example, coding languages do not have an alphabet or vocabulary like how human language is made.
Instead, they have abbreviations, ways to arrange the texts, and special queues to tell a machine how to operate.
In today’s tech world, we have thousands of coding languages.
Some coding languages are so sophisticated that they can tell a spacecraft where to go, when to take off and when to report data back to earth!
Every coding language is made with its specific purpose.
Each of these languages has strengths and weaknesses depending on the specific purpose they were designed for.
But, if you’re looking to start learning how to code or looking for the best coding language to get your children started, we’ve listed the essential coding languages for you to know.
Java– One of the most widely known coding languages. Java can seamlessly run across all platforms. It is also freely accessible for you to learn!
HTML– HyperText Markup Language is the most common programming language ever invented. HTML is used to format internet content, including pictures, video clips, and other forms of virtual content. HTML is so standard that many new programmers learn HTML before any other programming language.
CSS -Cascading Style Sheets lets you control elements, layout, and the overall framework of web pages. Primarily used by web designers, CSS enables you to manipulate and apply changes to text colors, font styles, and space between paragraphs. CSS also allows you to change background images, webpage themes, webpage formats, and even screen sizes.
C++ – C++ is the backbone for many high-level and low-level languages. This programming language lets you organize and store information for different programs. Wonder how platforms like MS Office, Zoom, Slack, and Adobe work? It’s all because of C++!
SQL– Which stands for Structured Query Language, is one of the common languages to help you manipulate and manage data.
Since data is a crucial component for various software and applications, SQL helps take care of and safely keep the data.
For example, social media sites such as Facebook and TikTok hold information about the user’s profile, username, the content they produce, and more. SQL helps programmers work with the stored data. With SQL, you are shown ads and other relevant things to your interests.
Python – Also used in sophisticated, high-level programming, Python is closest to the human language.
With English-like syntax, you can quickly learn this programming language.
How Much Can I Earn From Learning Coding Languages?
The pay of a coder depends on how much experience you have and what areas of specialty you can offer.
According to an article published in Indeed.com, a front-end developer can make up $108,628 a year.
Meanwhile, back-end developers rack up to $125,091 annually.
And, if you’re thinking of augmenting your income, you could learn both front-end and back-end programming languages even more.
If you want to jumpstart your child’s potential and supercharge their future by learning a highly- valued skill, coding is the best choice!
Conclusion
Coding is a skill that lets you tell a computer or a machine what to do using a programming language.
Coding works with the help of computer coding languages.
Coders can send commands to computers using specific binary codes using this language.
If you want to learn how to code, you could try coding apps, take coding classes or short courses, and assess your abilities.
If you’d like to teach your children how to code, the best age to start this skill is 6-8
Thinking of learning how to code?
Here are the primary coding languages that you might want to start studying:
- Java
- HTML
- CSS
- C++
- SQL
- Python
Depending on your ability to code, you can always learn multiple coding languages to get higher earning potential.
If you want to skyrocket your child’s potential for success by learning a high-potential and valuable tech skill, introducing them to coding early is the best way to go.
With over 120,000 student learners across different countries, CodaKid is the ideal platform to teach your kids how to code.
So what are you waiting for? Start a free trial today!
