Learning to Code as a Path to a Rewarding Career
We at CodeWorks are big believers in the value of learning to code because we’ve seen many of our graduates go on to launch dynamic careers that are both financially rewarding and fulfilling. We understand that the challenge of learning code might not be for everyone, but we do believe it’s an excellent path for a lot of people, many of whom might not currently see themselves as potential coders.
In this post, we’ll explain why we think coding is so valuable, and explore some of the initial steps you can take to start learning.
Why Learn to Code?
Our favorite reason to learn to code is simple: it’s fun.
Like any pursuit, it can be frustrating at times, but in our view, the act of building products and solving problems with code is an incredibly gratifying mix of creativity and analytical thought. With the possible exceptions of space flight and puppy-sitting, we can’t imagine a more fun activity to build a career around. On top of that, we love that software developers get to build things that solve real-world problems and (mostly) make the world a more efficient, interesting place to live.
While we love coding for its own sake, we recognize that there are other reasons to learn, including financial reasons. The following points are taken directly from a recent report released by Burning Glass Technologies (we can’t state these any better, so we’re quoting):
“Coding skills are in high demand. Seven million job openings in 2015 were in occupations which value coding skills. This corresponds to 20% of “career track” jobs, defined as those which pay a national living wage of at least $15/hour.
Coding Skills are Not Just for Programmers. Coding skills are of value to candidates across five major job categories: • Information Technology (IT) workers • Data Analysts • Artists and Designers • Engineers • Scientists
Coding Skills Provide an Avenue to High-Income Jobs. Half of jobs in the top income quartile (>$57,000 per year) are in occupations which commonly require coding skills from job applicants.
Coding Jobs Pay More. Jobs requiring coding skills pay $22,000 per year more than jobs that don’t: $84,000 vs $62,000 per year. (This analysis includes only “career track” jobs.)
Coding Jobs are Growing Faster than the Job Market. Programming jobs are growing fastest, 50% faster than the market overall. In general, programming jobs are growing 12% faster than the market average.”
There is a lot of remarkable information in this report, but this one is worth reiterating:
Jobs requiring coding skills pay $22,000 per year more than jobs that don’t: $84,000 vs $62,000 per year.
If that doesn’t pique your interest, we’ll assume you are either an astronaut or a very well-paid puppy-sitter.
What it Takes
We aren’t going to tell you learning to code is easy (it’s not). But it is 100% doable for anyone who commits themselves to it. You don’t need to be a mathematician, a logician, or an engineer — there are no experiential prerequisites.
You do, however, need to be dedicated, and you need to have the grit to withstand the highs and lows of the learning process. (If you’re not sure whether you possess those qualities, try this Grit Test.) We have seen people of thoroughly diverse ages and backgrounds come through our doors and successfully learn the fundamentals of coding, many of whom were inspired to build their own projects, while others began careers in the field.
How to Start
There are a LOT of ways to enter the world of code. For kids and teenagers, check out this blog post for some resources that are a great place to start. But there are many others — often, a simple Google search will turn up a resource that resonates with you.
Other great resources that are free and accessible to anyone are Freecodecamp.com, Codecademy.com, and KahnAcademy.com. Again, there are a lot of resources out there, but we have found that those three are some of the most fun and effective tools to get people started.
In fact, we believe in these resources so much that we recently instituted a scholarship program that rewards applicants for completing certain pre-determined exercises from Free Code Camp.
Growing Into a Career
Although many of the online resources available now are useful, we’ve found that in-person instruction is by far the best way to internalize the more advanced topics you’ll need to understand in order to enter the workforce. Accordingly, we highly recommend considering our Immersive program if you want to get started in the field quickly. Traditional computer science programs can also be effective, but anyone looking for a shorter-term, lower-cost option should strongly consider coding bootcamps like BoiseCodeWorks (A recent study of interviews from bootcamp grads and CS grads found roughly equivalent outcomes between the two groups.).
For anyone unable to commit to a full-time bootcamp, we also have evening introductory programs in web development and UX/UI design.
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If any readers have questions about BoiseCodeWorks or coding bootcamps in general, please don’t hesitate to email us at support@boisecodeworks.com, or call at (208) 391–5162.
Thanks for reading!
- Jake, Chris and Matt
Founders, BoiseCodeWorks
