The Importance of Engineering in Every Industry (Yes, Even Yours).

If you don’t already know some computer coding basics, I’d suggest you start learning some soon. Especially if you’re thinking about starting your own company.

I don’t think I need to tell you that code and computers are built into nearly everything we do — one look at the current NASDAQ list will be enough. However, I do think it’s important to realize this:

Although hiring a “professional software engineer” will probably get you some great resources for your early startup business, nothing will well round your abilities quite like learning how to think and build like an engineer. The best part? You don’t need to be an expert in engineering to truly benefit from it.

Disclaimer: This article focuses mainly on technology & systems engineering through coding & software— for two reasons. The first being that my own experience with entrepreneurship and startups has directly proven to me the importance of knowing / understanding engineering, and the second being that nearly 99.9% of businesses today will sooner or later deal with something technological . Even if it is a small business with a website built on Shopify.

Understanding “Front-End” and “Back-End”

Every business has a “front-end” and a “back-end”. In technology engineering, a front-end is often the part a customer or user sees and interacts with to use your product. A back-end is often where you store data do run computer code “behind the scenes” for lack of a better term, and the customer does not have any visual or communicative cues that this code has been run.

In every case, the business relies heavily on a user-friendly front-end and/or a systematic back-end. For example, your favorite cheese stall at your local farmer’s market relies heavily on a cheerful man who is raving about his favorite brie in order to make a sale. They also may rely heavily on a mobile card-swiping device, which allows them to access their back-end, the payment system that automatically combines credit card processing, receipt sending, and proper financial tracking for future IRS dealings.

While a business can survive on a strong front-end or back-end, the most successful companies flourish not simply because their dual natures can work together, but because they were built together.

Enter coding. Other than a few (nearly failed) computer science classes throughout high school and college, everything I’ve learned so far has been a conglomeration of Google, StackOverflow, coworkers’ advice, and excessive use of the “Inspect Element” tool in Chrome. So what’s that mean for you? Anything you need to learn is already at your fingertips.

Learning to code helps you learn the relationship between a complex front-end and back-end system. On top of that, it takes a system you already use and care about (surfing the web or a personal project), which helps the learning process significantly.

Before Your First Step

Many of the struggles for a first time coder are the racing thoughts you get before you start.

• Should I have gone to school for this?
• People practice this for years, right?
• Should I be paying for a bootcamp or something?
• How expensive are the resources I’ll need to truly succeed?

Founders, especially those who are diverse, under-supported, or lack access to more privileged means of funding for their company, may experience this first-time coding stress even more.

They may identify a need for computer software and systems engineering for their product to succeed, but won’t know where to start or they might wonder whether they’re at the starting line when it feels like everyone else is nearly finished.

But at the end of the day, the answer to resolving those thoughts is simple:

It’s never too late to get started; so just. start. coding.

Even better? All of the tools I’ll be listing below are free! That’s right, 10,000% FREE. Some of the most successful coders I know are self-taught, think outside the box, and continue to create incredible products. Anyone looking to start a business already understands the importance of saving money and thinking broadly about their company spend. Luckily, the internet is chock-full of free resources that can get you started today.

Your Actual First Step

I’d suggest starting at Codecademy. Although my personal path skipped this step, I think it can be a great place to start if you’re unfamiliar with coding. This site is simple, easy to follow, and actually uses a teaching display with code on one side, and the output on the other. A perfect example of the relationship between front-end and back-end! Take an HTML & CSS class to get started.

Getting Started (Front-End)

If you’re a visual person like myself, I’d suggest you start with front-end. Front-end is a perfect way to initially grasp the relationship between a computer and what a consumer will see and interact with most. An easy first step is to start learning about a coding library called “Bootstrap”. (You can also do a short HTML/CSS class at Codecademy if you’re 100% new to computers and working in technology in general!)

Bootstrap is one of the most well-documented, globally used, and popular ways to enhance your blocky HTML/CSS websites. To be completely honest, I learned Bootstrap before I really understood HTML and CSS, which are often described as great coding languages to start with. While I’m sure some experienced coders may be crying as they read that, I found it was optimal, because it taught me to be less afraid of coding itself.

I like to describe Bootstrap as a very “squishy” and friendly language. Many simple components are already designed, like a button or a navigation bar, and there’s very few dark screens with numbers and letters flying around (thanks Hollywood).

Image from Google Search

Once you start with something like Bootstrap, you begin to realize the flow of data between the user and your code. Buttons become triggers for functions and you begin to see the grid layout on every website you visit. People often say that learning a coding language is similar to a foreign one; once your brain starts to change, you’ll begin to agree.

Getting Started (Back-End)

In my opinion, back-end can be very daunting at first. I still have a slight fear every time my Terminal opens, because it always seems like a single click will wipe my computer clean. Fortunately, just like Bootstrap, there’s a lot of popular tools that are heavily documented and great for beginners.

My first experience with databases was with Firebase, which I paired with an early Flutter app. Firebase has a great array of help articles and is a perfect complement to Flutter. Even if you’re planning on hiring iOS and Android native developers down the line, I’d suggest trying out some simple Flutter and Firebase projects. You’ll be able to better communicate your expectations and goals to your development team, and you can even create simple prototypes or MVPs before spending tons of money on professionals.

Some other great tools I have found over the years:

• Github (store code and keep a history, just in case you make a mistake)
• Firebase (great place to start on “user data” or data storage in general)
• Flutter (application development, but still being worked on)
• Amazon s3 / Route 53 / etc (storing code and displaying a website)
• React (great for faster and more complex sites, plus a huge amount of documentation)
• Material UI (like Bootstrap but for React)
• Stack Overflow (like a Google for Developer questions and bugs!)

Putting it All Together!

Once you’ve started to learn more about the relationship between a front-end and back-end system, putting it together seems a lot more approachable. At the end of the day, your goal should be to understand both sides, in order to create an overall business “system” that best connects the front-end and back-end seamlessly. By learning more about coding, you’ll be better at creating and functioning in the technological world. For example, you could better:

• Understand error popups in a shipping platform you use for your Etsy business
• Create a better support ticket experience because you understand how a Zendesk Support form sends data to your support agents
• Judge the developmental implementation of a designer’s web mockup, knowing that ultimately it must be coded. (Think of the relationship between an architect and a structural engineer!)
• Select 3rd party tools and products for your business, knowing how it will all interact together
• Communicate between teams and assign work with more detail for your employees
• Reduce time spent on the “back and forth” between yourself and your teams, contractors, partners, etc.

Being able to understand the basics of a front-end and back-end system gives you an edge when starting your own company, or beginning a new project. You’ll begin to design both with the other in mind, and create a more seamless experience both in your construction and your presentation of the final product.

At the end of the day, the only thing holding you back, is how fast you can type “Learn to Code” into Google.