A recent report from the World Economic Forum concluded that a large proportion of human jobs could be lost to artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. Their estimate is that by 2025, 85 million jobs will be supplanted by AI.
With people increasingly concerned about jobs being lost to advancements in AI technology, one of the skills that seems to be future-proof is coding.
When you are deciding on your career path, something you need to keep in mind is the future job stability of your chosen career. With increasing technology and a changing world, learning to code is a skill that is increasingly important and helps secure you in a career that won’t disappear down the road.
Are you interested in some of the other benefits of learning to code? Let’s take a look at what you need to know.
1. Coding Jobs Have Great Earning Potential
Let’s cut to the chase. One of the most obvious benefits of going to code is that this career track offers great earning potential.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics keeps track of workforce information and salaries for a variety of different careers. Take a look at some of the median annual salary information for jobs that are related to coding and programming:
- Computer programmers: $86,550
- Web developers: $73,760
- Database administrators: $93,750
- Network and computer systems administrators: $83,510
- Software developers: $107,510
These salaries are well above the average salary in the US. The national average for all occupations in the same year of 2019 was $39,810.
While doing something you love is important, so is working a job that supports you financially. Programming skills are useful no matter your profession, career, or background. Coding skills can also be incredibly beneficial if you want to start your own company or business.
2. There Is Strong Demand For Coding and Web Development Jobs
Not only can you make a decent salary getting a job using your coding skills, but there is also strong demand for jobs that require these types of skills. The growth in these positions is projected to increase in the coming years.
The national average for careers is roughly 5% growth. Let’s take a look at the BLS projections for growth in the same professions we looked at earlier:
- Computer programmers: -7%
- Web developers: 13%
- Database administrators: 9%
- Network and computer systems administrators: 5%
- Software developers: 21%
As you can see, some of these jobs are projected to grow more than others in the coming years. Computer programming is the only profession that is projected to decrease, though some hypothesize that these projections are influenced by the way that computer programming skills are melding into other tech roles.
It is increasingly common for hybrid positions to exist in the workforce. This means that there are less jobs explicitly looking for computer programmers, but that are still looking for people with computer programming skills under other job titles.
3. It Gives You a New Perspective on Problem-Solving
One of the benefits of learning to code is that it helps teach you how to think. Many of us tend to try and solve problems emotionally. When you learn to code, it can help you learn to approach problems from a more logical perspective.
This is something that can help you in every facet of your life, not just your career. We all encounter problems every day, whether it’s what we should eat for breakfast or if we should accept that new job opportunity.
In the most basic sense, coding is simply creating logical guidelines that you are assigning a computer to follow. Tasks that are highly complex are basically a collection of smaller operations. This logical and methodical approach to solving problems can really help you learn how to approach issues of any kind.
4. It Offers Flexibility For Your Career
One thing that is very appealing about coding jobs is that they can offer a lot of flexibility in your career. It can help to open up new areas opportunity and make you an attractive candidate in a rapidly shifting digital environment.
Even if your job doesn’t require that you know how to code, it can be a good idea to learn as a side hobby. It can help you better understand and interact with other people you work with who are more tech-focused. It can also give you a leg up in professions that aren’t necessarily tech-centered, as many businesses recognize that these are valuable skills that not everyone has.
You can even learn coding online. Whether you want to master developer skills or learn how to design a website, there are tons of available resources.
5. It Can Be a Fun Bonding Opportunity For Families
One benefit of learning to code that you maybe have never thought of is that it can be a great way to bond with your kids. School-aged children can learn the fundamentals of coding and programming alongside you, helping out their future career prospects and allowing you to spend quality time together.
6. Learning How to Code Can Come in Handy in Ways You Might Not Expect
It’s easy to assume that programming and coding skills are only useful for people who work in specialist, highly technical jobs. It is certainly too bad for certain roles it is more important to know how to code. However, there is a long list of practical ways that coding knowledge can be applied to jobs that don’t focus solely on coding.
It can also help you to be a more valuable member of the team if you work closely with developers and programmers. Having the ability to make small changes to code is a real asset so that developers can focus on more complicated issues.
You do not necessarily need to become an expert in order to benefit from coding knowledge. In most business environments, knowing just enough to be useful is still a very positive asset.
7. It Can Enhance Your Social Life
You might be surprised to learn that learning to code could also positively impact your social life. This is because it provides an outlet for you to interact with people that are close to you as well as the rest of the world. You have the ability to make websites and apps for things that you want to share and things you care about.
When you know how to code, you have the necessary tools to create a platform for people to get together based on their shared beliefs or interests. This is true whether the platform revolved around an idea, service, or product.
You also don’t necessarily have to work a strict office schedule when you learn to code. Many people travel the world and work from their laptops as successful freelancers. Imagine how many more experiences you can have and how many more people you could meet if you are able to work wherever and whenever you wanted.
8. Coding Means You Can Bring Your Ideas to Life
Everybody has ideas about how the world could be better. Whether this is in relation to your personal domestic life, your work environment, or the world as a whole, it is rare that people have the technological tools they need in order to create the solution to the problem that they see.
When you learn how to code, you are able to develop projects that can support the vision that you have. Often, when you try to have someone else design a program for you, your core ideas can get lost in translation.
9. It Can Help Boost Self-Confidence
Another reason that learning to code is great is that it can give you a sense of accomplishment. It is incredibly empowering and exciting to know that you have the ability to execute something really complex or create something useful.
If you try to build a website or an app without coding skills, you end up relying on cookie-cutter templates. This means that you often don’t get to build the outcome exactly as you had envisioned it.
10. You Gain an Understanding of How Technology Works
As you learn to code, you will develop more confidence in interacting with the internet and using your computer. You’ll gain an understanding of how everything works. This means that you are well-equipped to deal with any tech problem that comes your way.
11. It Can Make Your Life Easier
Computer problems are always a big pain. When you learn how to code, you understand the backend of how technology functions. This means that you can solve your own problems and major tech issues don’t have to be such a big deal after all.
The Many Benefits of Learning to Code: Is Coding Right For You?
As you can see, there are countless benefits of learning to code. It can help you get a job, it can help you be more successful in your current job, and it can even benefit you in your personal life. On top of that, it can help to ensure that your career is more future-proof considering the rising prevalence of AI technology replacing existing jobs.
Did you find this article on coding benefits interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog for more fascinating and informative content!
