Why you should learn how to code: it’s a gym for your brain
The other day I saw an image on my Instagram feed that made me smile and nod uncontrollably. I was standing in front of a baggage carousel at a busy airport, so people around me may have started looking at me strangely. I didn’t care though and went straight for the repost app to share this image with other people. Here it is:
A post shared by Masha | Stereotype Breaker (@codingblonde) on Jul 30, 2015 at 3:33am PDT
It’s a simple quote by a man whose genius and stubbornness has changed the world of technology and personal devices. But that’s not the point, the important bit is what it says:
“Everyone should know how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think!”
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a friend about it, we were discussing some article that he has read on TechCrunch, which talked about the effects of programming on your thinking and logic. I have been discovering this by myself for the past few weeks and it was great to find a likeminded person, who confirmed the theories I had in my head.
The problem is that people who don’t know the logic behind coding, won’t understand the quote to its full extent. In fact, I admit that I wouldn’t have either a few months ago.
What coding does to your brain is amazing, I feel like it builds new connections inside of your head. You start seeing multiple ways to solve a problem and discovering patterns everywhere you look. You find yourself thinking about what you could do, how programs are made and what you could do to improve them. Also you start understanding how computers work – what they can and cannot do, making you more patient with them at times 😉
However, these skills aren’t useful only in one dimension, as coding gives you another perspective on your day-to-day problems too. You start thinking outside of the box, trying to find multiple solutions a problem that you may have faced for years. It makes you creative in an unexpected way.
Think of coding as a gym for your brain that will help you become a more effective problem-solver. Yes, it takes effort, but so does muscle building at the end of the day. If you haven’t started programming yet, I urge you, start learning as soon as possible and you will not regret it.
<the blonde>