Hi there! Do you want to know what coding is and how you can learn to code? In this article, We will discuss what is coding, its benefits, and why you should learn to code. We will also discuss different types of coding and how you can make a career out of coding. So, let’s start. 

What is Coding?

In simple terms, coding is the process of interpreting something like text, video, audio, or image from one form to another. But, this is not the exact meaning of coding when we use this term in computer science. Let us see what it means then.

You might be knowing that computers can understand only binary data i.e. only those data that are written in 0s and 1s. That means, everything, be it text, video, audio, or image that we see on the computer is converted into binary data so that the computer can understand it.

For converting any data to binary form, we need to tell the computer what steps it should take. To perform this operation, we create computer programs that consist of a step-by-step process of doing any task whether it be playing a video, playing audio, reading a text file, or browsing the internet. The process of creating such programs is called coding.

For instance,  Here is a computer program to add two numbers. It has been written using the python programming language. 

def add(a,b):
    c = a + b
    return c

The above program takes two numbers a and b as input and adds them. The sum is stored in c and returned. You may find it difficult to understand at this moment. But, you will understand it very easily once you start to learn to code.

Is coding Easy?

I would say yes and no. It is easy when you follow the process and understand the concepts. It is extremely hard if you want to master the entire concept at once. 

When you learn to code, you learn to break a problem down into simple actions that can be performed by the computer. So, if you have the ability to analyze and understand a problem, you have the first skill that you need to learn to code. Also, you must know how to split any process into various smaller parts for the completion of any task. Mastering these two skills will make coding easy for you and you will excel in this domain.

How to Learn to Code?

Coding is the process of telling a computer how to perform a task. With coding, we teach the computer how it should work in a language that the computer understands (not exactly. But for the time being, consider this true). So, we are just converting our thoughts into a language that the computer can understand. Therefore, it can be assumed that learning how to code is similar to learning a new language. Different computer scientists have developed different languages to interact with the computer in the past. 

In earlier days people used to give instructions to computers in a language of 0s and 1s. It was extremely difficult for humans to understand the language but that was the only way we could instruct a computer to do something. Later, Assembly languages were developed which used statements like ADD, SUB, and MUL to instruct the computer in performing tasks like addition, subtraction, and multiplication. These languages were very hard to implement the concepts and we could only implement some simple programs.

Later, High-level programming languages were developed which can be easily understood by humans. There are hundreds of high-level programming languages such as Python, Java, C, C++, Ruby, Scala, and others. You can choose any programming language to learn how to code. However, I will suggest that you learn python programming language if you are a beginner.

What are the Benefits of Coding?

There are several benefits of coding.

1. You learn how to solve problems: While coding, you will need to solve different problems by breaking them into smaller parts. This will give you an opportunity to improve your problem-solving skills and you will also excel in tackling real-life problems.
2. You gain patience: Learning how to code requires a lot of patience. While learning a language for coding, you need to learn the syntax and semantics of the language. When you try to code, you will make mistakes. It may be due to a syntax error or a semantic error. Generally speaking, syntax errors can be corrected very easily. But when it comes to semantic errors, you may need hours or even days to remove the error. So, To excel in coding, you need to learn how to be patient, and to ace coding, you have to be patient when you face any problem.
3. You create a lot of job opportunities for yourself: Nowadays, everything is done using computers. This has resulted in a lot of job opportunities for coders.
4. You can be rich: A coder in his early career earns about $180,000 per annum. This amount almost doubles in three to four years when you gain more experience. So learning how to code can help you earn a lot of money in addition to other qualities.

Conclusion

Coding is something that is fun to do when you understand the basics. If you want to learn to code, you should do it in a better way. This is because coding can give new heights to your career and financial status. You can create different types of the software after learning to code to ease your work. Coding can change your life entirely. For example, look at Mark Zuckerberg. He created the Facebook application and today Facebook is one of the biggest companies in the digital economy. 

Coding also gives you life skills such as problem-solving and patience. If you are not thinking about making a career out of it, still it can help you in your life. So, try to learn a coding language such as Python that is easy to learn and make coding your hobby.