Coding: An Invaluable Skill | Teen Ink

Coding: An Invaluable Skill

January 17, 2016
By Cables.gh BRONZE, Accra, Other
Cables.gh BRONZE, Accra, Other
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

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During the erstwhile centuries, it was an undisputed looped condition that only the rich and land owners had control over the society. However as time went by and we shifted into another century, the above condition to gain power was no longer valid due to the possession of a skill called ‘coding’.


Coding simply is the process of writing instructions for a computer to follow. A man once said that ;

"computers are very dumb" and I agree because till you give a computer instructions to follow, It will just lie there as useless as it can ever be. Coding is not just typing random words on a computer. This is because you need to learn one programming language which will enable you know the type of words to and not to use when coding. After you learn the language, all you need to do is sit down and start giving any computer or system instructions.
We live in an era whereby everything is technological and are fast approaching another era whereby the coordination of most or daily activities will be done by software. And as such creators of these software’s are going to be hailed the “superior commanders” and most powerful. Just look at the way the creators of top technological tools and software’s such as Facebook, Google, Windows OS, Advanced Robots etc. rank on the Forbes list of Richest People.
Envision living in a world where; your house lights turn off immediately you leave the house and come back on when you return, your car doors unlock within your proximity, your fridge signals you when any food it contains has expired or whether you need to restock, also you are welcomed by robots when you return from work and lastly a world where you can print anything you design on a computer (3D printing).

 

Yeah I know right, you are all carried away forgetting that these things don’t fall from space, neither are they the outcomes of magic.


All these things are made possible by coding. I agree you need to construct material components for the robots, cars and other devices but after you are done with the construction, what happens next?? Coding doesn’t only enable you to give commands but it also allows you get fair idea of the working of various tech gadgets.


A time is coming whereby learning strict facts will be less relevant because Google can answer any question in a matter of milliseconds, and rather what would be vital to our generation will be a set of skills that will enable us succeed. And programming (coding) is one these skills.


Coding doesn’t only enable you to give instructions but it also enables you get fair idea behind the working of various tech gadgets. It enables you to think like a leader because all the power you need lies within your brain. Example, if you play a video game and you think the game is below standard and doesn’t suit you, you can just pick your laptop and start creating an improved version of the game. That’s what we call POWER! 
There are many unique things about coding and I would like to shed some light on a few. They include:


1. Coding being basic literacy in digital age:
We are living in a world whereby Facebook, YouTube, Netflix, computers and the internet are embedded in our lives. Knowing how to use these things is one thing but understanding the logic behind this these objects is also another thing. Our dependence on technology is increasing and the ability to understand and control it makes you an active part of this digital era.

2. Coding makes all Dreams possible:
The ability to code separates those who merely have an idea from those who make their ideas a real reality. You go to sleep one night and you wake up with a great idea. But how do you make the imagination come to life?? The answer is coding. Programming enables you to create anything from nothing. With coding you can start building the foundation of your idea after just a few minutes of thinking. Think about it, plenty people have ideas but they die without making their ideas come to life.

3. Coding is an invaluable skill that can be learnt for free:
Yeah you heard me right. You can learn such an important skill just for free within some few steps and it’s very simple and easy to learn. It’s also very interesting and helps build your reasoning capabilities. It’s just like getting a money printing machine for free!!

4. Coding secures you a future career:
Over the next 10 years it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million jobs vacant for computer scientists and as such those who possess such an invaluable skill will not only secure their future but will also understand the main logic behind the operation of upcoming tech gadgets. Our world is also continuously being run by software and such we need a lot of people who understand the concept and makeup such that we can prevent the “a real life version of men in black”.

Just as languages like English, French etc. enable people to communicate with the people around them, learning just 1 or 2 programming languages will enable individuals to create technologies that will have great impact on people around and the world as a whole.


As a programmer myself, I know how it feels when your colleagues project is accepted over yours and I don’t think anyone will like to be over-shadowed by others forever.

So if you aren’t coding, then I think the time to start is now.


lets_code_the_future.



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