Learning to code is a life changing experience.

It may seem obvious, learning to code is key to a rewarding career in the programming field. But you don’t have to be in tech to reap the benefits of learning to code.

No matter what industry you’re in, having coding skills makes you more attractive to employers and might even get you a promotion and a raise

Learning programming is also a self-improvement exercise that will make you smarter and instill critical life skills like critical thinking, logical problem solving, perseverance, and self-confidence.  

In this post, you will learn the different ways learning to code can benefit you in your career and improve all aspects of your life. 

Why Learn To Code? 9 Ways Learning to Code Can Change your Life for the better

1. Learning To Code Is The Key To Getting A High Paying Developer Job

Learning to code is the key to joining the lucrative programming field. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics thinks so! 🙂

And there are plenty of high paying opportunities spanning from web development, applications development, software development, artificial intelligence, to data science. Even robotics! 🙂

Whether you’ve a student interested in a career in tech or are looking to change careers, learning code is the first step to achieving your dream.

2. Learning To Code Makes You More Valuable At Work

You don’t have to be in tech to enjoy the career benefits of learning to code. 

Even if you’re in marketing, manufacturing, research, or logistics, you can apply what you learn to do your job much more effectively.

Do you work closely with engineers and technical teams? Understanding their languages will help you communicate and collaborate better.

And becoming better at your job and using your skills to add value to your organization is the key to getting a raise or promotion and achieving your career goals. 

3. Learning Coding Gives You Career Flexibility

When you’re armed with coding skills, a 9 to 5 job isn’t the only way you can earn a living.

Becoming a freelance developer will give you the flexibility to work from anywhere and set your own hours.

You can relocate to anywhere you ever wished to live or travel the world as you work on your computer.

You can also use your skills to start a business and enjoy the perks of self-employment.

4. Learning To Code Will Enable You To Build Great Things 

One of the biggest benefits of learning programming is that you will gain the skills to develop anything you need or want.

Depending on the languages you learn, you can create websites, software, smartphone applications, algorithms, and even video games.

You can build an app to solve a problem you find annoying or create a program to increase efficiency in your business or workplace.

You will be able to bring your ideas to life without the cost and hassle of hiring a programmer.

5. Learning To Code Makes You Smarter 

Learning programming languages is good exercise for the brain, studies have demonstrated.

Your brain is very active when you’re learning new programming concepts and solving complex problems. New neural connections are made and existing ones are strengthened. 

This sharpens your brain, improves your IQ, and makes you smarter. It’s no wonder people think programmers are intelligent!

6. Learning To Code Will Teach You To Think and Solve Problems Differently

“Everyone should know how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” – Steve Jobs 

Coding is all about thinking critically and solving problems logically.

You have to discard what you’re accustomed to when it comes to solving problems. There is no place for emotions or bias in coding.

You will learn to tackle complex problems by breaking them down into small parts and addressing each separately.

Turns out this logical way of solving problems is also the best way to tackle real-life problems with great results.

7. Learning To Code Can Make You Rich

With annual salaries for developers ranging from $70k to $120k or even higher, learning to code is a valid path to getting paid well.

Manage your salary well, make money work for you and you’ll be on a slow but sure path to riches. 

Not only can learning programming make you rich over time with a well paying job, you can also launch your own startup and you never know what your idea might grow into.

You might just become the next Mark Zuckerberg

8. Learning Coding Will Teach You Perseverance

Going from zero to proficient in any programming language comes with two other side benefits. You will develop perseverance and resilience.

Learning programming isn’t a walk in the park. You have to persevere even when the going gets so tough that quitting starts to sound like a great idea.

You will learn not to give up when things seem not to be working. And these two critical life skills will see through other challenging life situations making you more successful in life.

9. Learning Programming Will Improve Your Self-Confidence

Committing to learn a programming language and sticking to it until you’re proficient will do wonders to your self confidence.

You will feel proud of yourself for working hard and persevering until you’re proficient. And you will believe that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

This kind of energy will motivate and fuel you to pursue and achieve the other goals you’ve set for yourself.

Conclusion

All those hours spent in front of a screen learning and practicing code pay off in multiple big ways. Learning to code will have a positive impact on all areas of your life. 

It will open up plenty of opportunities to grow in your career. With coding skills, you can also become a freelancer or start your own business.

Beyond getting high paying jobs, learning coding comes with plenty other perks that will see your life change for the better. 

Though it’s a challenging undertaking, it’s incredibly rewarding and absolutely worth learning. Especially if you are just starting out or considering a second career.

Ready to get started learning code? Code Academy and Treehouse are great resources for starting your journey to learning to code.