5 Myths About Coding, and Why Coding IS For You
“It’s NEVER too late to start.”
The number of jobs throughout the country which require coding skills is ballooning, but the vast majority of job seekers are still either woefully in the dark as to what coding actually is (or more importantly, what it’s for!) or suffer from some very misinformed assumptions.
Today, we debunk some of these assumptions.
Myth #1: I’m not a math person, so I can’t code.
Unless you’re a statistician, data scientist, or plugged into the deepest bowels of finance, CODING IS NOT MATH. If you can do basic addition and multiplication, and can count to 100, you have enough math skills to learn coding.
Coding is a skill set. Good coding is a skill set plus a way of thinking and problem-solving (not equation-solving!). The problems which most coders face — especially front-end coders — on a regular basis are similar to those dealt with by business professionals and entrepreneurs. Encounter a problem, brainstorm a solution, engineer a path to that solution, test and execute that solution.
Good coding is an extremely empowering, confidence-building, and deeply thrilling process of creation and personal ownership of your work. Which brings me to my next point…
Myth #2: I’ve always wanted a job that requires me to be creative every day, so coding is definitely out.
Coding is, quite literally, CREATING things from nothing. Coding involves creating new ways for customers to interact with a business’ platform or application, of designing a business’ or individual’s web presence, of guiding users through complicated sales or conversion funnels with subtle feedback and visual cues. More than anything, coding involves solving problems you would never once have thought about otherwise.
Coding constantly encourages the formation of new neural pathways or the consideration of obstacles or scenarios from new and different angles. A good coder is a good brainstormer, ideator, empathizer, and articulator, to say the least.
In fact, forget coding as a job requirement for a moment, think about what coding conveys as an additional, non-required job skill an applicant can offer! By the same token, we arrive at my third point…
Myth #3: I’m a businessperson, and I’ve got a nice job already. I don’t need to learn how to code.
Yeah, ok. I’m sure gas lamplighters never thought that pesky electricity was really gonna take, either.
Listen, everyone, coding is here, and it’s not just for math- or science-heavy athletically-challenged teen boys, anymore. Businesses EVERYWHERE are recognizing — by necessity — the role which coding plays in their day-to-day operations and, most importantly, in their engagement with their customers!
Whether for creating a more pleasant customer experience during checkout on an app, or creating a clearer and more effective solution for managing and viewing hordes of customer data, coding has become ingrained in virtually every segment of a business’ operations. Companies which don’t have the in-house coding chops to address their needs are outsourcing more and more of their internal tasks in order to stay competitive. Coding not only enables quicker and cleaner solutions, but good coding recognizes, analyzes, understands, and capitalizes on complex business needs to produce new and crazy solutions.
In fact, high-profile MBA programs around the country are finally recognizing that businesses want MBA grads who can code! An intrepid few are slowly, painfully slowly, attempting to adapt; but to date, the most effective means for MBA grads to immediately propel themselves into the hyper-competitive job market is still short-term vocational coding schools (bootcamps).
Myth #4: I never really wanted to work in tech, so coding isn’t a good path for me.
This one comes up a lot with my students, and there are a few issues with it. First of all, what constitutes a tech company? Apple, which is a consumer device company with a huge app-based ecosystem? Google/Alphabet, best known for creating the new reality? Tesla, which is technically a manufacturer with better marketing?
I don’t want to work for any of these companies, either, but saying that coding isn’t a good idea because of that is like saying, I don’t want to be an author or an English professor, so maybe I shouldn’t bother with reading.
Coding is officially necessary and ubiquitous for ALL kinds of businesses. Even small-town independent creators rely on social media platforms to generate buzz and exposure. Coding better equips even the smallest of entrepreneurs to position themselves for success, to reach their many customers-to-be, and to engage with their consumers and followers in the most effective and compelling way. Every business needs a website or platform. Virtually every major business needs a blog or content funnel. Any business that uses an app relies on constant user feedback and version updates to keep consistent and fresh user experiences.
Whether you envision your dream job at a tech company, managing a grocery store, as a real estate agent, in sales, or as an independent artist, coding is for you if the goal of your business is to make a living.
Myth #5: Coding is so huge. I’ll never learn it all, and it’s too late to start, so why bother?
Yep. No arguments here.
This isn’t a myth so much as a mindset that needs to be debunked. Again. And again. And again.
Coding is huge. It’s an enormous and unfathomably large world of strange languages, devices, compatibilities, dependencies, and seemingly infinite areas of specialization.
Now calm down.
No coder knows everything. That’s not in any job description and never will be. Just as no author has read every book on the planet, no mathematician has solved every proof, no lawyer is familiar with every field of the law in every state or country, no athlete professionally plays every sport.
You can learn what you need to get started. You can learn what you need to become a proficient web developer, or mobile developer, or back-end engineer, or front-end engineer. And it’s NEVER too late to start. I’ve seen students from all ages and all walks of life learn to code and I’ve seen coding transform their lives. I’ve seen coding give them confidence, a competitive edge, even a new sense of self-worth.
It’s ok to be intimidated, it’s ok to be scared or to feel daunted, and it’s true that once you start down this path, you will never. stop. learning.
And thank goodness for that.
Now take a breath.
Evan is an illustrator, developer, designer, and animator who tells stories in any which way he can. When he’s not branding businesses or building front-end apps; he’s illustrating children’s books, painting for tabletop games, animating commercials, or developing passion projects of his own.
