It’s no secret that the world is growing more and more technologically oriented every year. As a result, tech skills like coding are also becoming much more needed skills.
Despite this, many people don’t think of coding as one of the most important skills they can think of to learn at the top of their head. This is likely because it still seems like an elite skill that only the smartest and most technically inclined individuals can pick up.
Not only is this false, but there is a variety of resources (many of which are free) to help teach people of all ages how to code, making it more accessible than ever.
Here are three major reasons for the increased need for coding skills in modern day and why you should consider learning them yourself!
Increasing Popularity
With the need for coding increasingly alongside its accessibility, the popularity for the skill is absolutely on the rise.
The usefulness of coding has become one of the worst kept secrets, and for this reason, many employers are starting to add the skill to their list of preferred or even required qualifications on job postings.
Roughly half of the highest paying jobs (top income quartile) require some form of computer science or coding skills now.
David Dodge, CEO of Codakid, stresses the importance of learning to code at a time when so many other people are doing so:
“Computer classes can no longer be limited to teaching typing and Microsoft skills. Coding is becoming more and more necessary and people are starting to pick up on that. Children as young as five years old are starting to learn. Especially with all of the free resources available on the internet, there really is no reason to avoid learning how to code at this point.”
This popularity has also made coding a more common lesson taught in schools as early on as elementary school, showing that you don’t need to be older or more experienced to pick up the skill.
This popularity increase, both on the side of those seeking coders and those learning to code, has ultimately also raised the need for coding skills in the modern age since it is becoming a much more necessary tool overall.
Usefulness Across Industries
Though it is clear how coding is a useful skill for individuals in or interested in the tech industry, it is actually a viable skill across industries.
At this point in time, virtually every industry has a use for coding. Technology is becoming an increasingly common factor in every field, and with that, coding has become less of an interest and more of a necessity.
In addition to the tech industry, coding has been seen to be useful in fields like education, farming, business, law, medicine and so many more.
Coding also promotes skills that are useful in any given industry as well as in an individual’s personal life, promoting problem-solving, creativity, communication and teamwork, discipline and much more just in the nature of what is required to complete a coding project.
Regardless of your professional interest in computer science, coding is a skill that is sure to help you out both at work and home.
More and More Tech Jobs Every Year
By 2020, there are expected to be around a whopping total of a million open job positions in the U.S. tech industry.
Since computers and other technology are no longer recent inventions and are an integral part of any business in any industry, coders are becoming a much bigger necessity across the board, and the job market reflects that.
Not only is there a huge need for tech engineers with the modern technological climate, it is also a well-paying field. In 2017, the median pay of software developers sits at $103,560 a year or around $50/hr.
Not only that, most entry level positions in computer science only require a bachelor’s degree, a requirement matched by positions in most other fields. This makes it just as attainable and logical to pursue as a position in really any other area.
Additionally, college degrees are becoming increasingly more common, and jobs have been demanding them as a requirement. 65% of all jobs in the economy are expected to require a bachelor’s degree by 2020, so extra credentials like coding skills are becoming more and more necessary to set you apart.
Whether you already involved in STEM or specifically computer science fields or you are looking for a career path switch, coding provides a great deal of opportunity, security and sufficient income.
In Summary
Over the past few years, the need for coding skills has skyrocketed. Now that we are entering 2019, it is growing impossible to ignore.
The need for coding is rooted in its ever-growing popularity and stretches across industries, opening up career opportunities in and out of computer science fields and promising immense opportunity.
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