Coding is a field that is often misunderstood and it isn’t difficult to see why. Although nearly half of the world’s population uses computers, only very few understand how they work. Even fewer people understand how coders work.
Here are 5 myths and misconceptions about coding.
- You Need Formal Education
Contrary to popular belief, coding can be learned outside of the classroom. Programming crash courses and bootcamps can let you learn coding for the fraction of the time AND a fraction of the cost compared to a formal college degree.
What is more many of the world’s most famous and most successful coders like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates learned how to code without any formal education. In fact, many of them were barely in their teens when they learned the basics of programming.
- It Requires Advanced Mathematics
Many people think that coders are high IQ geniuses. Although there are certainly coders who are highly intelligent, many of them are ordinary people just like you.
Most coding only requires some basic arithmetic and algebra (read: middle-school level mathematics). However, there are certain advanced programs that do require knowledge in advanced math, although that is more the exception than the rule.
Coding schools like the Dallas Coding Academy teach the ins and outs of coding and algorithms. When you finally get started, you’ll realize that it doesn’t take a genius to learn how to code.
- You Need To Be A Master In Order To Earn Money
Because there is so much demand for programming-related work, there are jobs available for nearly every level of coder. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were over 7 million job openings for programming-related work in 2015 alone. What is more, the market for coders is growing 12% faster than other fields.
Even coders who are relatively new to the field can get jobs. If you’re looking for work opportunities to hone your skills, there are job openings all over the web for freelancers.
The best way to get better is to get started.
- It Doesn’t Encourage Creativity
Coding gets a bad rap for being a mechanical form of labor. While coding certainly requires a lot of desk hours and typing lines of code, the things you can do with a computer are almost limitless.
If you look at enterprises like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Amazon, you can certainly say that they have been instrumental to some of the most monumental innovations in the world today. A lot of coding is based on problem solving and exploring new possibilities. Dealing with these different challenges allows you to get creative with your solutions. Oftentimes, there is more than one way to approach a particular problem. The key to being good at it is finding creative solutions that are more efficient and more practical.
- It’s An Isolated Form Of Work
When people imagine coders, they think of a lonely guy in a dark basement eating leftover pizza and downing energy drinks by the gallon. That could not be farther from the truth.
Many times, coding related problems are better solved in teams and groups. Moreover, some of the best solutions come from teams composed of programmers who specialize in different languages.
The misconception that coding is lonely work is a shaky stereotype. Like other jobs, it also requires collaborative planning, sharing of ideas, and constant communication.
