Will Learning To Code Help Your Business?
As the world continues to transition online, coding is one of the most in-demand skills employers are after. But what if you own your business? Is it still worth learning to code?
The short answer: Yes. Learning to code helps you develop a deep technical understanding, helping you build a much stronger business. This article will explore why learning to code will help you create a more substantial business.
Let’s dive in!
Cut costs
If you are at all bootstrapping your business, coding is a fantastic way to cut costs by carrying out more tasks yourself. It also opens you up to opportunities you wouldn’t have the means to carry out otherwise.
For example, suppose you have an idea for a piece of automation software that saves time when completing a task. If you hire a software developer, this could cost upwards of five or six figures to build. For most small businesses, this would be unfeasible. But you could make it for free if you know how to code.
Improve relationships with technical personnel
Cutting costs is great. But what happens if you have projects that are too big or you don’t have the time or expertise to code yourself? Learning to code would improve your communication with your technical team.
Understanding how to write code lets you articulate exactly what you want. Also, you can design technically feasible projects because you know what goes into writing code.
Having a technical understanding also means you won’t feel completely lost when you go to meetings with your tech team. So you will be able to keep up and provide valuable insights.
Finally, who you hire is one of the most critical factors in the success of your business. If you do not understand coding, it can be difficult to distinguish between good or average developers. However, when you have a technical understanding, you can ask the right questions and easily ensure you take only the best applicants for the role.
Improve user experience
Understanding how to code makes you look at technology differently. One of the core differences between an average and exceptional coder is their ability to write code that is simple and easy to understand. Learning to code shifts your mindset to producing efficient, fast, easy-to-understand work. You will find this mindset creeping into other areas of your business, where you will start looking for ways to simplify and streamline, thereby improving your user experience.
Increase Your Creativity
Coding teaches you a whole new way of thinking that can be applied to solve any problems your business faces. It can help you to look at issues from different angles and take different approaches when building a business strategy.
Because a lot of business is done online, coding gives you a more technical understanding that can be leveraged to develop new ideas to improve your business.
What Language Should You Learn?
So, maybe now you are strongly considering learning to code. But where do you start?
The first thing you need to do is to select a coding language you would like to learn. It is important to start with a language which is beginner friendly but also one that will be useful to projects you would like to build in the future. Each language has things its best at; let’s look at the two most popular beginner-friendly languages.
Python
Python is best used for computing data, automation, and other back-end tasks. It is among the easiest languages to read and learn, can be easily integrated with other languages, and comes with many pre-written packages that can be imported into your code to make life easier.
You may not want to start with Python if you plan on developing fast-responding applications such as a game. This is because Python is relatively slow in responding. But it is fine for most back-end tasks.
Javascript
Javascript is another prevalent language that is beginner friendly. It can be used to create interactive and responsive applications. This makes it a fantastic language if you plan on building a website or piece of interactive software. However, Python may be a better option if you work with large datasets or have tasks you need to automate.