The importance of Coding and the changing global careerscape

Coding and its importance to future careerscapes can’t be underestimated. As the world looks to automation and Artificial Intelligence, now, more than ever, we need to equip ourselves with coding capabilities. 

Coding is proving to be of huge importance to the global careerscape. Clever code has made dramatic changes to how we approach work and how we get things done. Think about it. Imagine you are 37 years old. Since you were born, how many job roles have come and gone?

37 years ago

Being a typist was an important role thirty-seven years ago. It was undertaken by people who trained hard to master that specific skill. The role is massively important, but it’s now incorporated into pretty much every job on the planet. Typing is an extremely important skill and with the emergence of computers, it now seems to be a task that we are all capable of by the time we leave school – and the typewriter itself is now an artefact in its rarity. The world has advanced to laptops, tablets, smartphones and more.  

27 years ago

Pretend you’re 27. Reports are that one of the last switchboard operators hung up the phone in New South Wales, Australia, during 1991. It’s all digital now, and if you imagine yourself as a 10-year-old, you don’t know what life looked like before smartphones.

Technology has been accelerating at a mammoth pace. Roles that were unheard of 20 years ago are commonplace today. Take me for example, I manage content. This is a relatively new role to society. To many, it’s the role of a journalist, but a lot more focus is on search engine optimisation (SEO), layout, and shareability – as opposed to covering breaking news, exposés and reports.

Roles that came from IT

Internet and computers are some of the main reasons for jobs from the past evolving and sometimes dissolving. Think about it, without Bill Gates, Dennis Ritchie, Charles Babbage, or indeed, Ada Lovelace, would we even know what a digital marketer was? Would we know what a blogger was? What about a social media manager? Would your office have an IT Department? Would most households have some form of computer?

It’s incredible just how much coding has changed everything. From code we met Microsoft, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, YouTube, Google, Yahoo, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, and all of the major digital players of the past and present. While coders may have been a rare breed 20 years ago, there’s no doubting the need for more into the future.

Future importance of coding

The importance of coding in the future is massive. All computer programmes, websites, apps, software, and more, need coders and brilliant code. It looks like coding is here to stay, unless of course we are looking at eliminating the concept of IT in the near future.

The EU Commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission, Andrus Ansip, in 2015 stated that Europe could face a shortage of up to 900,000 skilled ICT workers by 2020. Realising this skills shortage, the EU has been creating opportunities and making funds available to bridge these gaps.

Coding is a fundamental part of everything that makes up information and communication technology. It’s an integral part of computer programmes, software, networking, telecommunications, the Internet, programming and information systems technologies.

Coding is one of the most important jobs of the future. Unlike other roles that have become extinct because of automation, it is people who create the codes for technological breakthroughs that will succeed. Yes, some future coding will undoubtedly become automated, there will however always be a need for great coders – especially now that we are beginning our journey towards the further development of artificial intelligence.

That’s why we’re here. Code Institute will give you skills in coding that can help you open the doors to your next occupation. Overall, our students are dedicated. Furthermore, they want to excel in a realm that should spell their future career. If you’re serious about starting your coding journey, here’s a challenge for you. Register below for our 5-day challenge. The results will let you know if you have an aptitude for software development.