Coding
Why all students should be taught coding
Coding has become an in demand skill for the future.
Coding is a basic life skill in today’s tech-savvy world. Gone are the days when it was meant only for geeks. From smart TVs to online gaming and advanced kitchen appliances, technological disruption is becoming prominent everywhere and is bound to increase. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook growth for web developers is more than double the national average for all job growth through 2026. This acceleration in demand is largely driven by extensive mobile usage and the continuing shift to e-commerce business models. Consequently, multiple new jobs are being created while existing ones are being re-defined. All this makes coding a crucial skill for those who wish to thrive and stay ahead of the competition.
Representatives from tech giants, including Facebook and Microsoft, call for a concerted effort to tackle an imminent skills gap that could result in millions of Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) vacancies being unfilled. However, this plea to promote the ability to code is not limited to those destined for a career in ICT. Rather, a plethora of interesting and creative jobs depends on a level of coding ability. Be it analysing healthcare data, creating special movie effects, or designing security software, coding is an evident thread that runs through future professions. Every newly designed car requires a voice-activated interface or a touch-screen. AI has become a better travel companion than the tools in cars. Almost every industry has incorporated a technical side to match their pace with the changing times.
Develops other skills
As a result, in recent times, coding has become an important skill. Programming helps develop problem-solving skills, i.e., the ability to resolve an issue in a logical and creative way. It also enhances thinking ability by fostering strategic, logical, and analytical thought.
Institutions today include coding in the curriculum right from the primary level to train students in their early years. Many ed-tech companies have invested in young coder programmes, even offering training from scratch for individuals without prior knowledge. Blending training in computer coding with work can help one excel in entirely non-technical fields, including the automotive industry; medicine and pharmaceuticals; architecture; education; fashion; agriculture; legal and sales.
Coding has now become an essential life skill for those seeking progressive employment opportunities. Besides, it opens doors to demystifying the digital world, getting connected, becoming creative, and mastering the domain.
Growing need
As per IBEF’s February 2021 report, the Indian e-commerce market is expected to grow from $38.5 billion in 2017 to $200 billion by 2026, owing to the growing adoption of e-commerce. The demand for coders, analytics specialists, and software developers with coding proficiency is rising with evolving customer expectations. Top companies are constantly looking for candidates who can help them provide a smooth and speedy buying experience for their products. The addition of skilled programmers has become a key retail success factor. In addition to software and application programmers, other job positions require coding expertise, such as business analysts, web designers, data analysts, graphic artists, data scientists, and more.
Today, owing to the growing demand for ready-to-use applications and tools, many platforms offer low-code/no-code solutions that help businesses automate their business process. Most importantly, with data becoming a priceless commodity and data breaches becoming a looming threat, profound coding knowledge that equips you with cybersecurity expertise is a must.
We can’t know what the job market will look like in the next five or ten years, but it is wiser to equip oneself with the skills one will need to succeed, regardless of where life takes them. It’s time to brace up for the present and the future with a strong command over in-demand skills, and coding is certainly one of those.
