Why I am Learning To Code
Over the past several weeks, I have been learning how to code. It's something that I have been wanting to do for a while, and I am finally taking the time to do it. I took the 5 Day Coding Challenge just to see if it's something I wanted to pursue before I go all in. I enjoyed the challenge and decided to go for it and learn to code!
Now that I have familiarity with the three programming languages that deal with website development (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), I decided to reflect on why I am learning how to code in the first place.
1.) New Career goals
Even with the constant threat of AI and the mess that is the tech industry, coding is still a valuable skill to learn. I have been rethinking my career goals after struggling to find consistent work in the Writing & Editing industry. I enjoy writing, but a career change might be necessary to advance my professional life, and coding is certainly one possibility.
Many job opportunities that I see on job boards nowadays consist of those that require coding skills. Learning and practicing the programming languages will help me gain the qualifications I need to apply to these positions. With the world becoming increasingly more digital, coding knowledge will still be in demand, even with the rise of AI. Even if I decide not to go into coding, having these skills will look great on a resume!
Additionally, I don't need employment to work in coding; I can use my coding skills and work as a freelancer. This allows me to work on projects that I'm interested in and set my own rates. This can give me the flexibility to work on both coding and writing!
2.) Privacy
For the past three years, I have done extensive research about how to protect my online privacy. So much of the tech that we use is not as private or secure as we think it is and collects so much data about use that anyone who has access to it can use it to their advantage. Much of this privacy-invasive tech that exists is reliant on the code. Having the coding expertise allows me to understand the underlying code that only powers the privacy-invasive tech but also privacy-friendly tech.
Likewise, this will help me comprehend open source projects, which play a crucial role in privacy-friendly tech. Open source code means that anyone can examine, modify, or improve the code; this differs from proprietary or closed source, which only a person, team, or organization can see. Open source can create trust and transparency since the code is accessible; this is why many in the privacy community favor open source. I hope to us my coding abilities to help with these open source projects, as they always seeking contributions.
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3.) Curiosity
Learning how to code has given me a renewed interest in understanding technology. My curiosity about tech will lead me to improved digital skills. Not only that, but I came to the realization that we should all be more curious about the tech we use, regardless of out coding background. The world is becoming more digital, and whether we like it or not, that means we will be interacting with tech much more. And as we see a continuation of privacy-invasive tech and the rise of AI, we need to critically assess the tech we use and demand transparency instead of being indifferent. Having the coding expertise helps, but being curious and analytical about tech is more important.
As I continue my coding journey, I hope to keep in mind these reasons why I am learning to code and succeed in becoming an experienced programmer!
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