Can you code and should I learn to?

Harry Palmr

The media would have me believe everyone is at it - coding. Five years olds are being encouraged now, half the new jobs out there seem to need some ability to write HTML/Javascript/PHP etc. Should I, an old git learn and will it make me rich?

kneemos

Cancel Jonnies piano lessons.

Harry Palmr

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The media would have me believe everyone is at it - coding. Five years olds are being encouraged now, half the new jobs out there seem to need some ability to write HTML/Javascript/PHP etc. Should I, an old git learn and will it make me rich?

You already know some of the lingo.. It's meant to be.

kippy

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The media would have me believe everyone is at it - coding. Five years olds are being encouraged now, half the new jobs out there seem to need some ability to write HTML/Javascript/PHP etc. Should I, an old git learn and will it make me rich?

If you'd had that attidude about 25 years ago, you'd be old AND rich by now, could even have come up with Facebook before Facebook did.
I think you've missed the boat tbh.

Baggy Trousers

Leave coding to the "nerds" (and I use that term affectionately) and get into management or consultancy.
9am-5pm versus 10am-10pm (because they like doing it).

Vowel Movement

Give it a go if you have an intrest in it. I done Java for a year.......Most boring year of my life!

Green Mile

I’ll be crucified for saying this but our youth would benefit more by learning code in school as oppose to Irish

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Baggy Trousers

Green Mile wrote: »

I’ll be crucified for saying this but our youth would benefit more by learning code in school as oppose to Irish

+1 (and Religion)

Professional Griefer

Theres no harm in doing so. Its fun to learn html/css and make a webpage on your own. Take a look at the stuff on w3schools, its very useful and includes PHP and some database stuff with sql.

Gran Hermano

Morse or semaphore?

DoYouEvenLift

Definitely OP. In fact, we should encourage every single person to learn coding. Force them to even. Especially the elderly. This way tech companies can start driving down the salaries of programmers even more. If we get enough people on board we may even be able to manage to get three new iPhone and Samsung Galaxy launches every year.


But seriously it should be encouraged more amongst the young kids growing up now and in the future. The best jobs for them will involve developing tech.

Green Mile

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Sorry Pat, I left out the 'd'. You must like the D?

The Diabolical Monocle

imho nope.

they'll just come up with a program to write programs.

then they'll simplify it to where its an app.

then it'll be you at 40 euro an hour versus a free app.

learn a human language or something else humany.

seamus

If you work in any kind of office job with a computer in front of you all the time, then you can probably gleam some benefit from learning some basic coding skills. It will allow you to automate the most mundane parts of your job and make you look like a genuis.

Otherwise, knowing how to code is something of a useful but not essential skill to have. Remember when your Dad (or even Grandad) had something break in their house, and they went out to their shed, took a few old pieces of timber, a saw and some sandpaper, fashioned a nice clean fix and sorted it all out? They were never a carpenter or a plumber or an electrician or a builder, but they knew enough tricks of each trade to get them by.

That's a useful skill to have, but it's not essential. That's what knowing how to code is like. You see something that needs a simple solution, you hack together a few pieces of code and it works. You're not a software engineer, you don't even work in IT, but you know enough tricks and tips to get you by.

And then when you're in your 50s/60s and your kids are grown up and you're looking for things to do at the weekend, you'll have enough skills to prick about in your office for a couple of hours knocking some things together out of the code that you know and then showing your grandkids and they'll think you're awesome.

The Backwards Man

Waste of time.

Learn Mandarin Chinese, how to plumb and wire your own house, grow your own veg, and how to service your car.

In the future, their will be too many people in made up jobs and not enough in real ones, so we'll all have to fend for ourselves.

Graham

seamus wrote: »

You see something that needs a simple solution, you hack together a few pieces of code and it works. You're not a software engineer, you don't even work in IT, but you know enough tricks and tips to get you by.

That sounds like at least half of the software engineers/developers I've ever met.

Tesco Massacre

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

That's the understatement of the year.

Although the year is young and there's much yet to understate...

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

Depraved

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The media would have me believe everyone is at it - coding. Five years olds are being encouraged now, half the new jobs out there seem to need some ability to write HTML/Javascript/PHP etc. Should I, an old git learn and will it make me rich?

1. Learn Java.
2. Gain 3-4 years experience even though nobody will hire you without experience.
4. After the 3-4 year of coding opensource, apply for job again.
5. Get told that Java is no longer being used and has been replaced with a new language that you know nothing about.
6. Return to step 1 with the new language.

Seriously though, it is frustrating, and difficult to become very good at it. But it can be very useful, not just in work but for yourself. I've made everything from my own browser, media player & small games for fun.

scdublin

Like others have said - certain languages become outdated very quickly and it might not be worth your time unless you're really eager to get into a role in that area.

I can do some basics in a few languages like Java, C#, PHP and then I'm slightly better at HTML/CSS. Code was a big part of my college course and I didn't like it at all but only realized how strong my dislike was when it was a tad too late.

It seems to be one of those things that people either just get or don't, and I didn't. No idea how I got through my course really.

CruelCoin

OP,

The odd bit of coding can be fun (and frustrating).

I like python, html/css, Java.

Javascript i'm not really getting, and php can **** right off. The syntax is a nightmare; I can do it, but i don't enjoy it.

Tesco Massacre

Tesco Massacre wrote: »

That's the understatement of the year.

Although the year is young and there's much yet to understate...

I wouldn't normally point it out but you leave yourself open to grammar nazis when you talk about how people should learn English.

GLaDOS

Other than the basics of HTML I can't, because I don't need to

Learned a small bit as part of a bioinformatics module, but it's long gone now.

retalivity

ve learnt/used about 10 different languages that I no longer use/need.

Learn SQL and some UNIX scripting, be grand

murpho999

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Your right their.

The amount of mistakes you see nowadays on the internet is shocking and makes me loose my mind.

What sort of grammer their teaching kids at there schools nowadays.?
Shocking.

Cienciano

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Waste of time.

Learn Mandarin Chinese, how to plumb and wire your own house, grow your own veg, and how to service your car.

In the future, their will be too many people in made up jobs and not enough in real ones, so we'll all have to fend for ourselves.

LOL, in the future you won't be able to get your car fixed or buy vegetables?

DoYouEvenLift

murpho999 wrote: »

Your right their.

The amount of mistakes you see nowadays on the internet is shocking and makes me loose my mind.

What sort of grammer their teaching kids at there schools nowadays.?
Shocking.

Your rite, you're post is on too something

Tarzana2

Soooo many job specs look for specific IT skillz now. The most common I see are SQL, HTML, CSS, and SPSS.

But then I know someone who got a job in Facebook recently. The job spec was looking for someone with a comp sci or engineering degree and needed some fairly specialist skills, according to the spec. She doesn't have any of the said skills and has a degree and masters in social science/humanities areas. Huh?

valoren

Programming Jobs.

Where you need 2 years experience with a coding language that's six months old.

SpaceTime

I tried to learn to code but probably bit off more than I can chew. I fully understand the concepts and the structure but, my brain seems to be incapable of processing the fine detail.

I kept producing programmes full of bugs and errors and always had to get someone to go through my code and spot all the minor mistakes.

Overall I think learning about systems and what coding is would be very useful but I'm not sure that everyone can take to coding like a duck to water!

I'm definitely not unintelligent but I just find it extremely difficult to get my brain to think in code. It's definitely better at human languages, visuals, socially focused things and grasping the big picture stuff.

I actually found learning to code one of the most frustrating wastes of time in my life!

Mint Aero

I'm of the opinion that in time, all software developers, coders, whatever they are will be just the modern day version of factory workers of the industrial revolution. In time, they too will be replaced by the machine.

Learn it if you want. Be a waste of time in my opinion unless you're interested in it. I'm not. I've better things to be doing.

SpaceTime

I think it is very important to understand how IT systems work. In a lot of jobs being able to communicate with coders and engineers is what is most important and being able to understand what's needed and how it can be achieved.

I mean an architect can design a complicated building but to do that I don't need to know how the chemistry behind every brick and the fluid mechanics calculations for every circulating pump.
A lot of people just need to know what it is and roughly how it works and how to specify it.

Spunge

i work as a programmer but can i code ?
no.

also 2/3 of boards can code ?
quite surprising

SpaceTime

Spunge wrote: »

i work as a programmer but can i code ?
no.

also 2/3 of boards can code ?
quite surprising

Most of the population claim to speak fluent irish too. It's a nation of aspirational fantasists at times!

Baron Kurtz

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Your rite, you're post is on too something

Is this, like, a new code, guys?! *Phrnarf, narf* [adjusts geeky specs]

kneemos

Spunge wrote: »

i work as a programmer but can i code ?
no.

also 2/3 of boards can code ?
quite surprising

43 know how to code.Not necessarily representative in a thread about coding.

seamus

kneemos wrote: »

43 know how to code.Not necessarily representative in a thread about coding.

Also half of them probably did a semester of HTML in college. <stirring> That's not coding </stirring>

Mint Aero

SpaceTime wrote: »

I think it is very important to understand how IT systems work. In a lot of jobs being able to communicate with coders and engineers is what is most important and being able to understand what's needed and how it can be achieved.

I mean an architect can design a complicated building but to do that I don't need to know how the chemistry behind every brick and the fluid mechanics calculations for every circulating pump.
A lot of people just need to know what it is and roughly how it works and how to specify it.

Why? I can't think of many jobs where it is very important to understand how IT systems work? Architects use complex programmes like Cad/Revit etc but do they need to know how to programme for those , not a hope.

Gehry's office might have created programmes to achieve some of his designs. Outsourcing to the developers or whatever, but speaking plain English to get what he wanted is as far as his knowledge of how the IT worked is all that was needed I bet.

We all know how to troubleshoot the basic stuff and set up printers/networks and what not. Can't see the need to know more than that

SpaceTime

All you need to know is what you need to specify.

Even web development is often driven by a graphic designer with the coding done by someone else.

Coder driven websites are often lacking a lot of visual style and usability.

I'd like to see irish education investing more in real IT courses though. We had "computers" which consisted of learning how to use MS Office!!! That's not IT skills it's more like secretarial skills.

fxotoole

Cienciano wrote: »

LOL, in the future you won't be able to get your car fixed or buy vegetables?

Yup. And everyone needs to know Chinese because the Chinese are going to win world war 3 apparently

Maximus Alexander

scdublin wrote: »

Like others have said - certain languages become outdated very quickly and it might not be worth your time unless you're really eager to get into a role in that area.

The outdated languages are actually the ones that will earn you the most money.

Earthhorse

The only reason to learn to code is if you want to code either as your job or for a hobby.

It's possible that learning to code could benefit everyone in that many people have to interact with programmers these days but in truth have very little concept of what it is they do. But that's a lot of work to put in with something that could be achieved by simply listening to them and asking searching questions.

And anyone who thinks coding will eventually be automated doesn't know how to code.

One eyed Jack

Spunge wrote: »

i work as a programmer but can i code ?
no.

also 2/3 of boards can code ?
quite surprising

You don't appear to have a very good grasp of statistics either. It shouldn't come as a surprise that on a thread asking can people do something, that it's going to attract people who can.

SpaceTime wrote: »

Most of the population claim to speak fluent irish too. It's a nation of aspirational fantasists at times!

Well, we are known as the land of saints and scholars!

Seriously though, someone else mentioned earlier that children should learn software engineering instead of Irish in school. The problem with that is if software engineering were taught in the same haphazard fashion as Irish.

There's no reason both couldn't be taught of course, but nobody achieves competency or excellence in any subject without taking an active interest in it outside of school hours.

Most people here would have some competency in IT, but the vast majority of people in society have no interest in the inner workings of their phones or tablets. They just want to use them, they only care about the front end, don't give a fiddlers about what's going on underneath.

SpaceTime

Hey Siri : write me a back office system for my online retail business!

Tried that ... She told me to get stuffed!

Maximus Alexander

Earthhorse wrote: »

And anyone who thinks coding will eventually be automated doesn't know how to code.

Not to mention that if we somehow got to the point that coding was automated then literally everything would be automated.

SpaceTime

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Not to mention that if we somehow got to the point that coding was automated then literally everything would be automated.

Well if AI becomes a reality it'll code itself ... Then enslave us or use us as a cheap source of energy!

So someone better remember how code works - just in case!

Mint Aero

SpaceTime wrote: »

Well if AI becomes a reality it'll code itself

It's a matter of when not if lads.

Charlie19

Does being able to embed a video on boards count

Maximus Alexander

Mint Aero wrote: »

It's a matter of when not if lads.

It's very much a matter of if.

Magico Gonzalez

Working in IT since 1999, never written a line of code. Try it, if you like writing code then it's for you, if you don't...it ain't. You really can't force it.

Many of those people who started with me writing code are still writing code. I guess because they like it. My limited perspective says that money and promotion come from not knowing how to do anything technical but being able to talk a good game, i.e. Business Analyst > Pro Mgr > Managing More Stuff.

In other words, if you are good at coding people like me (evil layabouts) will want you to continue coding so that you make us evil layabouts look good.

Better to be able to talk about something rather than actually do it. At least within multinationals.

That's the unkind truth from the coal face. I'm sure it's not universally true, but in my limited experience it is more often than not.