For a year now, we've been offering COOK and CODE coding workshops for absolute beginners in Munich. Coding is trending. Why should you learn programming now? It'll make your friends jealous, your mom proud, and... it's fun! But unfortunately, far too few people know that. A guest article by Alexander Hoffmann, Founder of COOK and CODE.
Coding, or programming, still has a bit of an image problem at the moment. Many people equate coding, or programming, with something abstract and boring.
“I was always bad at math, so I have no chance of ever learning programming.”
Wrong! Surprisingly, programming has relatively little to do with binomial formulas or the associative property. During my training as an IT specialist, for example, I didn't have a single math lesson. Above all, you need patience and logical thinking.
The programming has an image problem, also finds Nicole Schwertner, Project Manager for Training and Further Education at MedienCampus Bayern:
“Programming should take a leaf out of architecture’s book: Designing and creating buildings requires a high level of technical knowledge, but it’s still very popular with many women.”
https://youtu.be/cIAQ1vyfB8Y
Algorithms and software already dominate large parts of our society. The influence of technology will continue to grow. But where should you actually start if you want to learn programming?
With over 500 programming languages, it's easy to lose track and lack a starting point. As a beginner, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the variety of programming languages and communities. You don't know where to start. A tutorial alone isn't enough for sustainable learning. You need real-life projects that follow the tutorial to be able to implement the acquired knowledge.
Programming is absolutely one of the skills of the future. With programming, you can shape the world. Disruption has come about through the hands of programmers. Ideas have been turned into reality.
Coding is also a lot about creativity. Creative problem-solving.
Anyone who masters coding can influence our future. This is how supermodel Karlie Kloss describes it in her interview with Glamour. She also tries to introduce women, in particular, to coding and offers “Kode with Klossy” regular scholarships for young girls and women.
“I’m often put off when things are too nerdy,” Magdalena Rogl, Head of Digital Channels at Microsoft Deutschland GmbH, believes that not everyone has to become a programmer, but one should still have a basic understanding in order to understand the connections.
https://youtu.be/IA9g4TC4jDc
Also journalist Richard Gutjahr He considers programming one of the skills of the future. He compares it to Latin: students don't learn the language to order a pizza, but rather to gain a better grasp of the language. It's equally important that people learn programming to understand how the digital world is constructed: "It's simply part of general education. Period."
https://youtu.be/aUyazVaTQN4
"Code is the language of the digital world. Those who don't learn it will become the new illiterates and remain passive consumers."
so WirtschaftsWoche Editor-in-Chief Miriam MeckelSounds exaggerated? Here are a few examples of how coding knowledge can help you in your everyday life:
Online marketing
Do you work in online marketing and want to improve your website's search engine rankings? Then you can't avoid the absolute basics of HTML. Sure, HTML isn't strictly a programming language, but it's a markup language that defines information for search engines. Poorly maintained (META) information = poor rankings. With this knowledge, you can also implement simple changes to the website yourself and don't need to hire an agency. There are bad apples everywhere – with this basic knowledge, you increase your chances of identifying overpriced offers from service providers and negotiate better.
Editors and designers
More and more publications are going digital. What innovative presentation formats can you use to stand out from the competition? Scrollytelling? Basics in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript will help you understand the possibilities and better communicate your ideas to developers.
Project manager
IT managers communicate with developers daily. A basic understanding of coding helps enormously in defining customer requirements more concisely and clearly. Thanks to clear definitions, developers not only save stress but also gain valuable development time. Managers also find it easier to understand the technical difficulties encountered by code ninjas, allowing them to avoid them in a timely manner.
“Anyone who doesn’t understand software loses contact with the outside world and soon has a professional problem,” says Frank ThelenSo, how does software work? What is an algorithm? Which of the over 1000 programming languages do I need for my idea? Frameworks? How does a website or app work? And will we all soon be replaced by computers? These are exciting questions that the Courses from COOK and CODE can help.
