Coding Training
I love Coding. There, I've said it. It really is one of the most useful and enjoyable skills you can treat yourself to. As test subject for the BBC Acorn education software, I was the very first child in the UK to learn on a personal home computer and, like most people back in then, I started with the programming language BASIC and moved on to HTML when the internet became generally available. Later, I learned CSS, JavaScript, ActionScript 3, XHTML, RegEx and finally PHP. I'm certainly no genius though, in fact I believe anyone and everyone can, and really should, learn to code.
Why Learn Coding?
For anyone considering learning a little Coding my first piece of advice is "Don't wait!". There's never been a better time to start and, when it comes to coding, your age really ain't nuthin' but a number.
Why learn Coding?
Because it’s fun!
Coding is like a wonderful puzzle box that, once solved, just opens up to reveal another puzzle box. It can also be like building some crazy mysterious machine- all brass and crystal and strings. It can be beautiful and broken but then fixing it’s half the fun and sometimes you’ll have no idea why what you did fixed it or why it’s suddenly able to do amazing things you never intended it to.
The more you tinker the more you learn and, as you grow to understand its mysteries, you’ll feel like some kind of wizard, seeing structure and patterns that most people find incomprehensible.
I’ve seen a few lines of code create hauntingly beautiful artwork, resolve business critical issues, reverse-engineer DNA strands, cut production times in half or just generate an army of self-replicating rubber-legged robots, each furiously engaged in a custard-pie fight inside a tumble dryer!
Why learn Coding?
Becuase knowledge is power
Why rely on an “intellectual priesthood” of expensive digital gurus every time your site needs fixing? Say your boiler breaks. You wouldn’t want to fix it yourself but wouldn’t it feel great to be able to just fix a leaky tap without having to call a plumber?
Even basic coding skills will save you money and help you understand whether those you employ are pulling their weight.
Why learn Coding?
Because it’s easy
It’s easier than you might think to pick up a little coding and it’ll look great on your CV once you’re up to speed with even the simplest coding languages.
Coding languages are just like any other language. You learn one and it’s easier to learn the next, and you don’t need to learn an entire language to get by in it. Sure, at times it’ll be frustratingly difficult but a game that’s too easy is no fun.
Did I mention coding really is a lot of fun?
Which coding language should I start with?
A lot of people ask me "which language should I start with if I'm learning to code?". There's no single "right" answer to this question, which isn't very helpful, nevertheless here's a simple list that represents a sensible and achievable path to a career in coding:
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HTML
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CSS
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Javascript
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PHP
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RegEx, Python, C, Ruby, SQL, etc (advanced languages, depends on what you need to work on)
Fundamentals of All Code
As any of my learners will have found already, there can be a lot of jargon in Coding but I think this short list of the basic, fundamental components of Coding will provide a solid foundation for all further development, regardless of which Coding language you learn:
Further Reading
This page of my site is based on an article I wrote over at LinkedIn.
If you've enjoyed reading, this you might like to read the original, and some of my other articles on LinkedIn, on the subjects of Webdesign and Cybersecurity: