You’ve seen the craze for learning code. But what exactly is coding? Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps, and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they’re all made with code.
Here’s a simple example of code, written in the Python language:
print ‘Hello, world!’
Many coding tutorials use that command as their very first example because it’s one of the simplest examples of code you can have – it ‘prints’ (displays) the text ‘Hello, world!’ onto the screen.
Coding 101
If you don’t know the first thing about coding, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together a beginner’s tutorial which will give you all the background information you need on coding before you start learning it for real.
It starts with an explanation of the benefits of learning to code. Here, you’ll find out what you’ll be able to do once you know how to work with the code. Then, you’ll get a deeper understanding of how coding works, and how the code you write gets converted into an instruction that a computer can ‘understand’. Very satisfying to know!
That’s followed by an outline of today’s coding languages. After all, every language has a purpose – some are for the web, others for app development, others for desktop software. You’ll find out why web development is an ideal form of coding to start off with, and then get a full overview of it. You’ll also be introduced to web design and app development.
Finally – and most importantly – there’s a step-by-step action plan that will outline the fastest and easiest way to get started in coding, and become a coder in 6 months.
Jump to a Page
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Benefits of Learning Coding
How Coding Works
Common Coding Languages
The Best Place to Start
Introduction to Web Development
Introduction to Web Design
Introduction to App Development
Let’s Begin
Learning coding has many benefits – whether you’re looking for a career in the industry, starting a new hobby or just wanting to understand technology. Continue onto the next page to find out about the benefits of learning to code.
If you own a business, a web presence is a must. If you don’t, you still might want a personal blog or portfolio site to sell your skills to prospective employers. Of course, your ability to create and maintain a website is severely limited unless you learn HTML and CSS code, the code that all websites run on.
The following pages at Code Conquest will help you:
Free HTML Tutorial
Free CSS Tutorial
HTML and CSS Training
How to Make Your First Website
Become a Career Coder
Looking for a career change? The humble computer programmer is quite possibly one of the most underrated professions out there. The demand for coders far exceeds the supply, so you’ll have no troubles finding a job. In fact, it’s projected to grow at a rate of 30% between 2010 and 2020. That’s twice as fast as most other jobs.
The world is practically crying out for more coders, as the below video explains…
And because the supply of coders around the world is so low, the pay is quite attractive too. Google and Facebook employees, for instance, are paid a base salary of ~$125K.
Start a Business
Let’s say you’ve got an idea for a software product or web business. You want to create the next Facebook. But you’re short on cash, and being able to hire a team of coders is a pie in the sky. Why not learn code and build the product yourself?
It’s a path that many entrepreneurs are choosing to go down. They’ve started off with virtually no coding knowledge and have gone on to build their own small software businesses. For example, Nick D’Aloisio famously sold his iPhone app, Summly, to Yahoo! for $30m.
Some of the kinds of businesses you can start include…
selling software
selling mobile apps
e-commerce
selling your coding time.
If you do have a product idea, there’s no reason to sit twiddling your thumbs waiting for money to fall out of the sky. If you can learn code, you’ll not only be able to realize your product but also know the source code of your software inside out. For more information, read this page:
Understand How Computers Work
This is probably the biggest benefit of all, and the one that will apply to you no matter who you are or why you’re interested in learning code. After all, you use the Internet, mobile phones, computers and software in your daily life. Isn’t it a bit strange that you don’t fully understand how these technologies work?
Douglas Rushkoff explains the situation well in this video…
With any luck, you’ll be able to discover ways in which coding can help you in your everyday life or job. You may decide to write your own scripts, to perform routine tasks like sending emails, handling data, editing text or doing calculations.
Understanding how software and coding works are definitely valuable for anyone, in any walk of life. On the next page, you’ll get a glimpse into how coding really works.