Learning to code is one of the most effective ways to level up your life.
The average person spends 24 hours online per week. And the entire Internet is built on a foundation of code. That includes Facebook, Twitter, Pakwired, and any other app or software you use.
Whether you freelance or get a day job as a web developer/software engineer, there’s plenty of income potential.
Freelance web developers earn $75,430 per year based on an average of salary estimates from ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor. Base pay for software engineers hired by traditional companies is $92,046. Yes, those are American dollars. The totals look good in Pakistan, too.
Have an entrepreneurial spirit? You should still learn to code (unless you earn enough revenue to justify hiring a professional).
Programmers are the architects of the Internet. And every business needs an online presence. Otherwise, potential clients or customers won’t take you seriously. Being able to design and develop your own websites is a huge advantage. The time it takes to launch a new product or service will be drastically reduced when you can immediately act on your instincts.
You don’t necessarily need a college degree. There are plenty of resources that can help you learn to code from the comfort of home.
The first one is free and provides up to 1,800 hours of coursework that translates into real world experience. You’d have to spend thousands of dollars to obtain the same education from a college or university. Go to freeCodeCamp. Click the link and make an account. They don’t even spam your inbox. All you’ll receive via email is a weekly newsletter that’s actually helpful.
Start with the foundations (HTML and CSS) before getting deeper.
HTML determines how text appears on the Internet. This sentence is contained in a paragraph tag. The bigger text above is enclosed in a header tag. Links and photographs have their own tags, too. They’re also accompanied by attributes that determine how the element behaves. For example, all the links in this article open in new tabs to prevent interrupting your reading experience. This feature is powered by HTML.
HTML is the bricks or sheet rock used to build your house. CSS is the paint job and decorative flourishes.
HTML is all about text content. Look, I’ll use HTML to make a list of things you can do with CSS:
- Change the color of elements (typically used on text or backgrounds to make content easier to read)
- Position elements (navigation menus go on top, copyright information goes on the bottom)
- Make websites respond to mobile devices (important due to the rise of smartphones)
The last one is huge. If a website looks bad on mobile devices, you’ll struggle to build repeat traffic.
I launched a pet adoption website two weeks ago. It’s linked in case you’re curious. If you want to see what I mean by “mobile responsive,” look on different devices. Less than 20% of the 1,000+ visitors used a computer. The remainder used their phone.
This is why freeCodeCamp starts with responsive web design.
Those metrics didn’t surprise me. By 2025, 75% of the world won’t even have a computer. They’ll use their phone to access the Internet 24/7. Thus, this is the best place to begin learning how to code. The rest builds on top of the fundamentals, so you can’t really skip them.
I don’t want to cause information overload, so let’s make this simple.
I love learning and know you do, too. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. There’s no reason to worry about what comes next when you already have a 200 hour certification ahead of you (at least those of you brave enough to build the code habit).
That said, I’ll provide two potential paths for after you finish.
Option A: move on to the next freeCodeCamp certification, which covers JavaScript. Keeping the house analogy in mind, JavaScript is like heating and air conditioning systems. They’re not always necessary, but can make a big difference in comfort (or user experience).
Option B: if you’re ready to implement, look into Webflow, which makes the process of designing and developing websites a lot faster. You’ll need to apply the same core concepts, but in a great user interface that lets you see the impact of your modifications in real time.
Either way, I hope you learn to code. It will be rewarding.
I’m so glad I learned to code. My mind is full of ideas. And now it’s much easier to act on them in a meaningful way. Plus there’s no more worrying about money. Everyone needs a website and I’m a qualified Internet architect. Join me and apply the same label to yourself.
If you know any friends or colleagues who might like to learn code, go ahead and share this article.
