What is Coding?

The world has gone mad with coding.  Everyone nowadays wants to be the next Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates.  So, what is coding all about?

What is Coding?

Coding is what makes it possible to create applications and web sites.  Applications that are developed using coding include just about every piece of software that we might use on a daily basis.  The ones that we are familiar with will include Facebook, Microsoft Office products, Google and all the apps that we might use on our smartphone.  So, coding, or software development, is one of the foundation building blocks for all developments in technology.  Every device that we use in our daily lives has some sort of software driving its operations.

Coding is the basis for products that we use on a regular basis.  It is also the tool that powers modern organisations. Therefore, good programmers are in great demand by businesses for their skills and expertise.  If you have the correct skills, you can command a very handsome salary.

Starting salaries for junior coders in Dublin are in the range €30,000 to €45,000.  However, in parts of the world where demand is even greater, such as New York and Silicon Valley, junior to mid-level programmers are commanding up to $100,00 per annum.

Learning to Code

If you are a complete novice to coding, then you are in luck.  There is a wealth of training courses available. Whichever course you choose, you should start your journey by learning some of the basics.  Some of the things that you should consider delving into before you start include:

Job Prospects

• While you might well be learning to code in order to simply better yourself, many people will be going through this exercise in order to either change their career or develop their existing career.  If you are doing this as a career progression, then take the time to find out which coding “languages” are the most popular and pay the highest salaries. As I write this, you should certainly consider tools such as HTML5, CSS, Python and JavaScript. While there are many others to choose from, these are in huge demand.

Common Coding Languages

• You should spend some time discovering the various languages available.  Each of the coding tools or languages has it’s own particular benefits. Some are easier to use than others but might not allow you the granularity that more difficult languages offer.  Some of very textual while others are “object-oriented”.  Go online and find out about the advantages and otherwise of the various tools.

What Do You Want from Coding?

There is a range of avenues that you can take after you become a programmer.  Three of the current “routes” for coders are

• Web Development – creating and managing web sites and associated backend applications.
• Web Design – there is no point in having a great web site that looks crap. We designers bring sites to life.
• Application Development – building apps

Finally, you need to decide the optimum learning method that best suits you.  While there are many online sources available, you might find that you learn fastest and with better results in the classroom.

Our Full-Stack Software Development programme is very intensive and hands-on, you work in small teams and you learn to code within a group, optimising your learning as well as developing an understanding of how to work within a working environment.  We try to ensure that you are ready to take that next step into the working world.

Whichever you choose, enjoy the process and your journey. Want to find out more about learning online and becoming a software developer? Why not join one of our webinars? Here we discuss the opportunities that are available for software developers from junior level up. Register now through the form below. Likewise, if you want to learn some coding basics, then try our free 5 Day Coding Challenge.