Faye Bridge
writes on August 4, 2016
If you’re considering a career as a developer, here are a few exciting facts to back your decision. There are over 500k unfilled tech jobs in the US alone and jobs for developers are projected to grow 27% in the US from 2014 to 2024, which, by the way, is significantly faster than the average for all other occupations in the nation.
The big-picture reality is that every industry – traditional to modern – needs developers, and open tech jobs can be found everywhere. As Techdegree student, Ken Chung explains, “every single industry needs designers and developers, and the work you do really does make a difference.”
To give yourself some perspective, do a quick job search on LinkedIn for developer positions in your city. I’d be surprised if you don’t recognize at least a handful of company or brand names in the results (and the likelihood is that the majority aren’t from within the tech industry).
Outside of developer roles, the demand for people who understand technology is becoming increasingly recognized too. In the US alone, 78% of middle-skill jobs require digital skills. As our co-founder and CEO, Ryan Carson highlights, “understanding technology and being able to control it is now as fundamental as being able to read and write.”
You only have to look at initiatives to increase awareness for programming literacy in schools or look at the global support for programs like Code.org to see the rapidly increasing value of coding.
Don’t just take our word for it. Here are a few expected and unexpected individuals sharing their views on the value of learning to code:
Hilary Mason: “I believe technology should give us superpowers. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to think, analyze, and create with technology.”
Stephen Hawking: “Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essential skill to learn.”
will.i.am: “Great coders are today’s rock stars.”
Arianna Huffington: “Learning to code is useful no matter what your career ambitions are.”
Steve Jobs: “Everyone in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”
Mark Zuckerburg: “My number one piece of advice is: you should learn how to program.”
Barack Obama: “Don’t just buy a new video game; make one. Don’t just download the latest app; help design it. Don’t just play on your phone; program it. No one’s born a computer scientist, but with a little hard work and some math and science, just about anyone can become one.”
Start learning to code today with a free trial on Treehouse.
Supermodel Karlie Kloss also leads the #KodewithKarlie project, a summer coding bootcamp for teenage girls. The late and great Prince was a supporter of YesWeCode, a nonprofit initiative with the mission to help young people from low-opportunity backgrounds find success in the tech sector.
The list goes on, but one thing is clear – learning to code is an essential skill for everyone. However, that doesn’t mean learning will always be easy. Learning to code is also a challenge. At times it can be hard and frustrating, and at times you’ll want to give up. But if you work hard and rise to the occasion, you can open up opportunities and earn yourself a rewarding career.
[Tweet “Trust Us, Trust Them: Learn to code.”]
More people than ever before are entering software development from non-traditional backgrounds. The number of coding bootcamps is increasing, and there’s a broad push from the industry to attract more diverse developers. Many companies are no longer solely focused on hiring senior developers, and have realized that it may be smarter to train and upskill the next generation of senior developers instead.
Software development pays well, the industry is booming, and compared to many other careers, software developers get treated very well. But I think the thing that draws most career-changers to software development, is the search for more rewarding work.
“There are over 500k unfilled tech jobs in the US alone”
All of the “I can’t find a job, there aren’t any jobs!” people really need to see this. Sure, maybe there aren’t very many good jobs for people with no skills, but you’d be surprised how many opportunities are out there for people who actually know how to do something, as we can see with those 500k unfilled tech jobs.
Instead of complaining on reddit about the fact that you’re jobless, maybe they should learn a programming language or something.
/rant