Learning to code will add a key skill to your small business.
By Oscar Waterworth
Skills that used to make or break careers just a few decades ago are now considered dead wood. A digital revolution has stolen the show, and technology is transforming the way we live and work. The number of people using computers in their work is going through the roof, but pros who know how to program them are not a dime in a dozen. Coding skills are a powerful asset that could be helpful in any business, and if you learn how to code, you can develop applications by yourself that will get your startup going or add capabilities to your small business that improve your efficiency and draw in customers.
Many businesses are in a desperate need of coders, and are prepared to pay a pretty penny for their services. Companies who fail to attract top talent make an effort to create their own qualified programmers and give them golden handcuffs. As a small business owner, you may need to take the do-it-yourself route. If you educate yourself by learning how to code, you can avoid the problem of employing someone else, or if you do hire someone else, at least you will know how to judge their capabilities.
Learning opportunities
There seems to be a myriad of learning opportunities, but one should try to separate the wheat from the chaff and find the best solution. You do not have to go back to school to pull this off, as you can embark on a digital journey to gain knowledge. The surge of online resources and learn-to-code startups is evident, and here you can find some excellent IT courses that align with your learning needs, including Code Academy, for example.
Bear in mind though that learning by doing is learning at its best. This process makes much more sense in an interactive environment and when it is tied to the specific project or task. Also, even those with non-technical jobs can benefit greatly from improving their command of programming languages. This is true for many small business owners who are under the pressure to be jacks of all trades.
Indeed, immense business opportunities await those who arm themselves with IT expertise and knowledge, whether it be about the higher-level programming languages such as Flash and HTML or lower-level ones like C++ and Java. They are used to create web pages, build apps and video games and do the scripting. So, the sooner you as an entrepreneur get familiar with the values and benefits of learning to code, the more options and knowledge you will have to realize your ideas.
Coding is one of the core skills needed to navigate the restless waters of the 21st century. Those who were disregarded as nerds just yesterday will become the intellectual global elite of tomorrow.
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Oscar Waterworth is a writer from Sydney, Australia. A father of two and a working man, he somehow manages to find the time to write up an occasional blog post. In his free time he likes to travel, play futsal and build stuff with his kids.
