Everyone should learn to code, according to a recent trend in the computer industry. Here’s the problem with that notion: Coding does not represent the next generation of reading and writing.
“Learn to Code” is a phrase you’ve probably heard if you follow Silicon Valley culture closely. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and nonprofits like Code.org have evangelised what they see as a critical skill for the workforce of the future.
If that’s the case, the United States’ demand for engineers isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Isn’t it a little more complex?
As a result of the extreme competition in today’s society, many people are resorting to illegal means of earning a living. It’s dishonest to claim that coding is a ticket to economic freedom for everyone.
Code boot camps are an option. People from many walks of life have been inspired by the success stories of Silicon Valley software developers and now want to start their own businesses or work in the industry. Tobacco and computing go hand in hand in HBO’s Silicon Valley, a depiction of young professionals in their late 20s. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, who have made millions of dollars almost overnight, have awed the American public. With President Obama’s drive for legislation to integrate computer science into every public school’s curriculum, coding fever has even reached the White House.
People aren’t just being encouraged to learn to code by boot camps and politicians.
People from many walks of life, from Hollywood to today’s tech elite, are urging others to do the same. I’m sceptical of boot camps, despite the increased hype. However, despite the fact that Silicon Valley is romanticized in our culture, the reality is that many bootcamps are unaccredited and don’t disclose job stats; many also fail to adequately support their students after they leave the Bootcamp. However, there are plenty of fake coding boot camps out there preying on the desperation of unsuspecting students who are looking for a quick buck.
Be clear: I feel that engineering and programming are valuable talents. This is possible, but only in the appropriate situation and for the right kind of individual who is prepared to put in the time, effort, and tears required to succeed. It’s true of many other skills, as well. Learning to programme is about as necessary as learning to plumb, and neither of those skills is required of everyone.
Concentrating solely on coding elevates the emphasis of finding “the proper” solution to a problem at the expense of truly comprehending it.
Before we start working on a solution to a coding problem we must decide what the problem is — and if it’s genuinely a problem. If we let ourselves become concentrated on how to solve a problem via code, regardless of if it is a programming challenge or not, and lose sight of why we gain nothing. Read also; The first step is to obtain a domain name and web hosting.
Friends with former Stanford International Collegiate Programming Contest champs from the Association for Computing Machinery come to mind. The greatest thing he taught me about his ACM championship days was the necessity of recognising what problem you’re trying to address.
“Do you even have one?” is the first question you must answer. in addition to “Can you use the Feynman principle and explain it to others in a way that they can understand?”
According to a friend, even in the most prestigious universities, students only read the coding issue prompt once and then instantly begin coding.
While competing in the tournament, my acquaintance discovered something: even people from prestigious colleges plunged deeply into complex challenges with code as their only weapon.
But my friend didn’t begin writing his code until he had fully grasped the nature of the problem. He contemplated the issue for nearly the entire given period. He didn’t start writing code until the very last minute.
He was crowned a champion.
Cool, deliberate problem-solving is what he knew would get him out of this jam.
Over-emphasis on coding ignores the situation of present programmers.
This industry is notorious for its quick evolution of technology.
I used to programme in Objective-C, but these days I write everything in Swift. It’s not uncommon to see iOS developers looking for positions who have never written a single line of Objective-C. Swift is easier to understand, safer, more current, and more elegant than Objective-C ever was, all of which make it a better choice for programmers. That new developer will never have to cope with Objective-shortcomings C’s is nice, but it misses the reality of what it takes to be a professional developer.
A guillotine vibrating to the sound of pink slips is the only motivation for developers to learn quickly. One could argue that this is simply a price to be paid for the privilege of participating in this exchange. Current developers may be upset or lagging behind, but if this is the case, why encourage newcomers into an uncertain field?
Is there any recourse for someone who has spent the last week obsessively learning Objective-C just to be frightened by the Swift announcement at WWDC 2014? Do they continue to code in a language that is gradually eroding in popularity, or do they start over? If you’re a twenty-something single, this may not be a problem, but if you have a family to support, the effort takes on herculean proportions. Read more; How to improve your digital front door with WebOps
All of this is confronted by people in these situations who lack a good understanding of programming or engineering.
The line between learning to code and getting paid to program as a profession is not an easy line to cross.
Really.
Getting a freelancing job took me almost a year of self-taught study. However, the pay was still abysmal Because I didn’t have a computer science degree, I was frequently denied even an interview.
The compassion of my friends kept me going when I couldn’t afford a place of my own. When I felt like giving up, there were evenings when I didn’t. In spite of this, I was able to keep going.
I’ve been able to stay in this field because of my tenacity.
In reality, getting a job as a developer, even if it’s an apprenticeship, isn’t easy. A GitHub account that has been updated and maintained throughout time is one of the many things you’ll need. If you’re an underrepresented minority, you’re going to have to be twice as good as everyone else. Regardless of progress in equal opportunity. And the sole purpose of this is to demonstrate one’s ability.
There are gatekeepers everywhere. They’re Ivy League grads who think the best way to judge someone’s technical abilities is to ask questions like, “How do you invert a binary tree?” As a self-confessed whiteboard test-obsessed project manager, I can attest to the fact that I possess a few whiteboards myself. For better or worse, these people stand in the way of a solid career for you.
Playing their game, even if it’s unjust, is the only way I know of to get past them.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let myself or anybody else stand in the way of your dream of becoming an engineer. And don’t be held back by the constraints of the educational system. When it comes to reaching your goals, there is no right or wrong way to go about it.
But don’t get carried away by our culture’s love affair with Silicon Valley. This is not a debt-free card in this profession. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the subject matter. Make peace with the fact that your job isn’t just to “fill in framework here,” but rather to solve problems for your clients. If you don’t have established qualifications, you’ll need to get used to the thought that you’ll have to learn a new framework or language at any given time.
But it’s difficult to go from “coder to engineer” when you’re working in software engineering.
You have the power to transform not only your life but also your entire way of thinking if you put in the effort.
