Everything you need to know before taking a coding course online.

I bet you’re thinking, ‘coding is something that is reserved for the smartest of minds’ – individuals who can type 1000 words a minute without looking at their keyboard. That is no longer the case, learning coding has become mainstream. This means that any tom, dick or harry can learn to code, all you need is diligence, persistence, concentration and patience. 

“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” – Steve Jobs. He may not have been wrong, there is currently a massive hype around coding, what better time than now to take an online course in coding! Whether you’re looking into taking a coding course because you want to change your career or you’re starting out your career, it is an invaluable course which is in high demand. 

Let’s take a look at some of the things you need to know before deciding whether or not coding is for you. Thus everything you need to know before taking a coding course online:
 

1. What is coding? 

Coding is something which allows us to create computer software, apps and websites, browsers, OS, the apps on our phones, social media – they’re all made through coding. Simply put, coding is the basic act of writing, using a programming language in a script that a computer can read and understand. The script’s job is to tell the computer to behave in a certain way, to do certain things and ultimately to perform the operations that you want it to. 
 

2. How can coding help me? 

Studies have shown that learning how to code can assist you in other subjects that you’re studying or learning. When it comes to coding, you master how to break down a problem step by step. This allows you to develop a certain mindset when approaching problems as well as processing large amounts of information that is essential when conquering any new topic. Long story short, you learn to view problems with a bigger picture in mind.
 

3. Pick your path

Before you make this decision, think about what it is that you want to do with your future coding skills. Thinking about this is important because there are different programming languages which are used for different things, so you want to ensure you learn the language that best suits your intentions. Having a distinct goal drives you to keep going.
 

4. Coding is not linear

One of the biggest obstacles students face when learning to code is that they assume it will be a linear process that they can crack. Learning to code couldn’t be further from this, if anything it is an S-curve. It’s kind of like a continuous light bulb moment, the light stretches up in a dark room gradually illuminating the room. As it illuminates, you get an insight of what it is that you’re doing and where you stand. Mastering coding won’t happen immediately for everyone and you might end up getting lost more often than not. The secret is to accept the struggle and be patient with yourself while you’re trying to master the world of coding. 
 

5. Broken Pieces

Once you have mastered the world of coding after taking your coding course, you ought to become comfortable in seeing things break constantly. There is always something breaking and generally, it breaks often. When it comes to coding, once you get things to work and start to add new features, you will have to destroy old things and jump between them to get them to work all over again. If you stop things from breaking that means you are putting a stop to innovation. You have to become practised in fixing the bugs in your code and then breaking them down again. 
 

6. Coding is a culture 

Developers can’t exist on their own, they necessitate a culture. If you do plan on taking a course in coding and turning that into your career, you need to realize that it is a community. Being a developer is not simply about creating things, it also involves collaborating. It is an industry that moves at the speed of light, and it is sustained by the culture which has been built around it. 
 

7. Stay Focused 

While you are learning to become a developer, you will have day to day distractions. You need to really try and stay as focused as possible. People will frequently distract you from your studies, they could also mislead you by trying to convince you that what you’re learning is not really that important. Stay focused, it will help you in your journey as a developer.
 

8. Decision making 

Becoming a developer involves determining all of the variables that could affect any process. Next, you utilise those variables to complete calculations or comparisons. Understanding and determining all the variables is an important part of any decision making process. 
 

9. Be creative 

A focus part of determining the flow and logic of a program requires a lot of creativity.

You’ll be required to design graphical user interfaces that are intuitive and aesthetically pleasing, as well as learning how to handle sudden user responses. This thought-provoking process creates empathy and forces you to think outside of the box, as you put yourself in the shoes of the user and see the world through their eyes rather than your own. 
 
I think by now you have an overview of what it takes to learn to code online, and we haven’t even gone into the detail of what a coding course would entail. Go check out our online coding courses, that will give you a really nice breakdown of what a coding course would include. 

The sky’s the limit when it comes to programming, you can go into any avenue that tickles your fancy, so go ahead and sign up for one today, there’s no time like the present.