It’s obvious that the world is constantly moving towards a more technologically savvy future. It’s just inevitable. Technology has become such a large part of the average person’s daily routine. I bet that most of you can’t even imagine having to go through an entire day without using some kind of technology. I know I sure can’t. This brings me to what I’d like to discuss today: the importance of programming.
Computing has become somewhat of a daily activity in households across the world. It’s become an absolutely essential part of the lives of many people. Sometimes, when I can’t fall asleep at night, I often think about how astounding it is that my mom and her generation aren’t as technologically inclined as our generation. Then I start thinking about what it will be like when I’m in her position, when I begin outgrow the normal constructs of technology that are best defined to my generation. I love technology and I can’t imagine being in a position where I’m lost trying to use it. How can I keep this from happening? Or better yet, what can you do to keep this from happening to yourself? The answer is simple: learn to program.
From the software we use on our personal computers to the applications we love to download on our mobile phones, there is one thing in common-people had to create it, and more importantly, through programming. Now I’m not saying that you should go out, and start learning how to be a hardcore programmer. By no means is programming something for everyone. What I’m suggesting here is that you take the time to learn the basic foundations of programming so you can better understand computing.
Programming is a lot of things. There are the really great programmers who write the code that puts together software for people like you and I (the end users) and then there are those who are just basic programmers-accountants who work with spreadsheets, a secretary who makes calendar appointments, even a cashier at your local fast food restaurant. The point I’m trying to make here is that programming is everywhere! It’s necessary, essential, and relevant. Learning the foundations of basic programming helps you develop what I like to call a “problem-solving mindset.” It’s true. Programming is about solving problems. Just think about it. No one is going to write a program just to write it. It has to has some practical application. Someone must want to use it, and, when someone wants something that does not exist, a problem is created. Here’s a nice little video with people like Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) and Mark Zuckerberg (creator of Facebook) talking a little bit about programming (this video inspired me to write this post!).
If you watched the video, provided at the end is a link that has completely free resources to help you start learning some basic programming. If you didn’t watch the video, you can find the site here. So, before I go on and on with this topic and bore you to death, I want to end by saying: learn some basic programming. The skills you can gain from it will be invaluable in the future. They will give you a competitive edge in your fields, and, most importantly, it’ll help you stay connected to the ever changing technology!
