10 Benefits of Coding

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Why should you learn to code? Why bother with coding if it’s not what you want to do for your career?

Turns out, there are a lot of other benefits that come with learning to code that don’t involve using it in the workplace!

Let’s take a look at 10 Benefits of Coding!

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You learn logical thinking.
In order to code a game, animation, story, etc., you must program EVERY SINGLE THING that happens. If you forget to tell the program to do something or even if you put it in the wrong order, it won’t work. Learning to code helps you think logically about how to get from point A to point B, and how to break that down into small, logical steps.
You learn to think critically and to problem solve.
Speaking of having to program EVERY SINGLE THING, when it doesn’t work out the way you want, you have to look at your code critically to find the problem. Then you have to come up with solutions to the problems. Coding helps you look for details that may be causing an issue and then drives you to find a solution that fixes these issues.
You learn about trial and error and risk taking.
When you’re working on solutions to problems with coding (we call that debugging), you most likely will have to try more than one solution to make things work the way you want them too. Coding teaches you that it’s OK if your idea doesn’t work. It’s OK if you have to try different ideas many, many times. Trial and error are just a part of the process.
You learn perseverance and persistence.
As we’ve mentioned before, sometimes you are trying lots of different ideas to solve one problem. Coding teaches you to keep trying, there is a solution and you will be able to figure it out. You just have to learn from previous attempts and keep going!
Coding teaches creativity.
Going hand in hand with all of our problem solving is creativity. Coding teaches you to be more creative in your thinking and problem solving. Sometimes your first idea won’t work and you have to think outside of the box to get a solution that will! These problems challenge us to be more creative when we are looking for ways to change, improve or fix our code.
Coding increases confidence.
Coding provides a sense of accomplishment when you have finished your game, story, animation, etc. and it works the way you want it to! Knowing that you can create and program the ideas that you had makes you feel good about yourself and your abilities, especially when you get a chance to share them with family and friends!
Coding helps you learn about organization and planning.
When you are coding a program, you have to think of what is going to happen in the future of your project and how you’re going to get there. Coding helps you learn to break up your goal into small, organized action items.
Coding improves teamwork.
Often coders are working with more than one person to complete a project. When this is happening, you learn to trust others, see their viewpoints and learn from their experience. But even when we are coding alone, there is room for teamwork. If you get stuck on a particular line of code, it’s often helpful to ask for help from someone with fresh eyes or who has more experience. Likewise, you should be willing to help out those who ask you for help.
Coding improves communication skills.
You may be asking yourself, “How does coding do that?!?” Well, when we code, we must break down any items of action on our project into small, simple steps. This is a skill that can be hard to develop, but that is very useful when communicating with others. Simple, clear and small directions are easier for those around us to understand. Coders already know how to do this and can apply it to their interactions with others on a daily basis!
Coding is FUN.
Having fun improves your mood, decreases stress and helps you focus. Creating something unique that works the way you envision is fun! Once your project is done you can play it or show it to others over and over again, so the fun never stops!