We all have many applications installed on our smartphones to give us different information. For example, you have a science project on space, and you want to search on which planets are in the solar system, the first app that comes to your mind is Safari. Or maybe you’re bored and want to scroll through funny videos, TikTok comes to mind. Applications are one of the things we mostly use in our daily lives. But how do they work? Behind every application or software, is code. A code is a set of instructions given to a computer for it to function for you. People who write code, referred to as ‘coders’ or ‘programmers’, develop code for us to use our everyday apps.

Many of the people I’ve communicated with on coding – either in school, or in gatherings – tried coding at one point but gave up as they felt it was difficult, or they simply lost interest in learning it for a simple feeling that it won’t benefit them in any way. However, code powers almost everything that we use on a daily basis, even our fridges and ACs! In this week’s article, I will be covering the importance of code, how one can easily start learning as how to code and develop their own apps; and the different ways to develop apps using programming languages.

In order to learn to write code, you will need a programming language. Just like we as humans have different languages – such as English, Arabic or French – in order to communicate with each other, likewise we can communicate with computers using different programming languages. Some of these languages are Java, Python, C++, and JavaScript. Each language has been created to develop different types of software. For example, JavaScript was made to create interactive websites, and C++ is used to make operating systems and applications for computers. I’ve started learning to code in Python, as it had really easy syntax and is one of the most popular programming languages today.

One of the easiest and simplest programming languages for children and beginners who know nothing about programming, is called Scratch. Scratch is a fun block-based programming language, where instead of typing code yourself, the code is visual and you can drag and drop blocks in order for your sprite (character) to move around and say stuff! Scratch is the best way to start understanding the concept of coding and start programming yourself. Learning to code also opens up doors to programming careers that have great earning potential and are in high demand in many countries. For example, you could work as a software engineer, where you develop programs to solve real-world problems, or you could work as a web developer, where you can develop your own websites. Learning to code also gives you the ability to make robots function for you. Best of it all, you could even learn to develop your own video game!

In conclusion, learning to code benefits us in so many ways, and personally, I believe that technology is the future, so learning to code would be very essential for everyone, especially for the ones who are looking to stand out in the market and be employable in this fast moving economy.

(Hilal Tariq al Barwani)