Ubiquity & Utility: Why Everyone Should Learn How to Code

That’s a quote by the late Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple.  His view is shared by his fellow giants in the industry. Whether it's Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban, or Elon Musk, they all share the view that coding is an important skill and everyone should learn it. But what exactly is coding?

Coding (used interchangeably with programming) is the act of communicating with a computer. Humans have created Programming Languages that allow us to communicate with a computer so that it can perform tasks for us. So, coding is the practice of learning a programming language and using it to instruct a computer to perform tasks.

We have made the technical advancements we see today thanks to our ability to code.  Without programming, most of our progress as a species would have halted quite some time ago. And nowadays, computers are increasingly part of our everyday life, and being able to program them is an important skill. But why? Why should everyone learn how to code? This article will answer this question using two reasoning paradigms; Ubiquity and Utility.

Ubiquity

A thing is considered ubiquitous when it's found everywhere. No better adjective describes the phenomenon of programming. Coding, or its products, is found everywhere and affects every facet of our lives. From ATMs to social media, we daily interact with tens of thousands of lines of code. It is reasonable, then, that we must try to understand something that’s part of our everyday lives so that we can engage with it more effectively.

The technological advances of the last decade have led us to believe that most of what we can achieve with coding has already been accomplished. However, this is far from the truth. Coding is still uncharted territory, and much remains to be accomplished.  If you learn how to code, then you’ll be embarking on a life-long journey of discovery. Being able to code will grant you a lifetime of wonder.

The ubiquitous nature of technology means that any advancement made in the field will have a direct impact on human lives in general. If you can code, then you have the skill that can quite literally change the world. As Drew Houston, founder of Dropbox said, “Coding is the closest thing we have to a superpower.” If you want to do something that can have a lasting impact on your community, country, or world, then you should learn how to code.

Utility

Utility-wise, coding will change your life. Let's start with your intellect. Coding is written using logic, and good code is written by critical thinkers. Learning to code will improve your reasoning and problem-solving abilities, which you can then apply in other areas of your life.  Furthermore, learning how to code will make you a creative thinker as you will search for “out of the box” solutions to the problems you encounter while coding. The mental abilities you develop when learning how to code are transferable to numerous aspects of your life.

When it comes to your career, coding can open many opportunities for you. There are many professions you can go into by learning how to code. From being a website developer to a cybersecurity analyst, the prospects are endless. Moreover, you can also combine your interests with coding to start a new career. For example. If you are into animation and graphic design, you can learn to code and be a game developer, if you are interested in biology, add coding to your skillset, and you’ll have a career in Bioinformatics. Coding spans multiple disciplines, and learning it will take you farther than you think.

Coding has a significant impact on the startup sector in addition to job opportunities.  Almost every new startup nowadays has a coding team behind it. Entrepreneurs are relying on technology to run their businesses, and if you plan to be an entrepreneur, then coding must be an integral part of your skill set.

You may believe that coding requires a genius, or you may be intimidated by all of the jargon you encountered when you first began learning.  I’m here to let you know you’re not alone. Everyone feels the same way when starting out. The key is to persevere through self-doubt and be consistent. You’ll get the hang of it sooner than you think. And given its rewards, it's  worthwhile to invest your time and energy into learning how to code. So what are you waiting for? Pick a programming language and start learning!