Coding is amazingly easy to do nowadays. And because of that reason, I will explain why you should start coding (regardless of whether you already wanted to do it, you’ve never heard of it, or if you don’t like it) and how to get started.
1. Why you should
It is innovative
Coding is the most creative, modern, and productive thing you can do. You can do anything: From designing a website to programming your own (Smartphone-) app or videogame. If you want to look at my own creation I programmed:
RPG
You should download the folder and open the website (on a computer). It is a text-based RPG where you have to fight against a knight.
It is extremely easy
Coding is very easy to learn and do. I started coding in February 2023, and now I know how to code in two different languages (if HTML counts as one). And it is so easy, because a coding language just consists of different commands executing one after another. For example, a part of my website above looks like this:
This is HTML mixed up with JavaScript (two coding languages).
It’s my own screenshot and code.
As a non-coder, it looks a bit confusing. But as coder, it looks (translated into modern English) like this:
There is an attack.
(The “console” clears but that doesn’t really matter)
A message is created (It is empty right now).
There will be random damage between 100 and 300 HP.
The damage will be subtracted from the one who gets attacked.
Now, the message will be generated:
The HP that is left by the who gets attacked will be generated and shown.
If it’s not the player’s turn, the player’s HP gets subtracted by the knight’s damage and will be shown.
A new message that shows how “big” the damage was will be generated.
Now, the whole message will be shown on the page.
Then, the HP left of both gets saved until the next round.
It is very simple. You just tell your computer what to do, and it does it. Sometimes you must think about what you did, compared to what you want to do if your program is finished, and then, you know what you should change (if you know the coding language you are coding with). And now that I mentioned how you do it:
It is a job
You can study software-developing at a lot of universities. And, after you have done that, you will get paid for making software. Yes, it will be to have coding as your job, but if you enjoy coding, you can make money with it. And more than I thought: You can make about 67838€ a year (in Germany). That’s about 1413€ a week, and 201€ a day. In my opinion: the money is definitely an incentive.
2. How you start coding
The coding language
The very first thing you must choose when you want to start coding is the coding language, because this is the only thing you need to know when you want to code (except for how to use a keyboard and a computer). And which coding language you choose decides what type of program you will work on. These are some languages: The Beginner-languages: JavaScript – Perfect for programs with math in it (like converting currencies); can be used in HTML
HTML – This is the language for the internet. You can save some files, information, or text in it (but it’s not a “real” language)
Python – Very good for data science, robotics, and web development
I chose JavaScript as my first language, because it was (in my opinion) the most “useful” language for me. But it doesn’t really matter which one you start with, because there are a lot of videos and learning platforms for every language.
The Languages “for later”:
Java – Useful for creating 2D and 3D videogames, and some other firm- or software for almost any device (This one is especially useful).
C++ - Particularly good for creating your own app for your PC.
Swift – Just for apple stuff.
These three are not languages you should learn first, because these are more complicated and can take longer to finish a program with. But all of those are good for when you have learned to code well.
Learn, Learn, Learn
If you have chosen your coding language, the only thing you need to do now is learn. You can watch some videos, learn with an app, or ask another coder if they could teach you. And if you have the basics for your language, you just need to practice. If you don’t know where you can start coding, you can do it with one of these:
For the web:
An online sandbox for some languages.
As program on your computer:
A platform you can program with almost every language.
If you want to let me recommend a YouTube-Channel, I can give you this one:
This guy studied software-development. I started coding with his videos, and he can explain the process very well. A warning: Everything he explains is in German. If you want to watch some code-learning videos in English, you should ask someone else...
So now that you have everything you need...
...Happy Coding!