6 Life Skills Young People Develop with Coding
To successfully navigate the challenges and demands of life, it is critical to have and develop life skills. The earlier these skills are learned, the better for every young individual. Life skills, however, do not come naturally, they have to be developed and improved. Young people need to be engaged in several ways and levels to acquire these skills for productivity and life success.
One area of study that is proven to teach real-life skills is computer programming or coding. Coding, when taught right, teaches young people life skills in addition to coding skills. The process of learning how to code unconsciously instills life skills and values which are invaluable in all aspects of life.
Here are 6 life skills learning how to code will add to you.
1. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Logic building in programming is about breaking down a complex problem into simple and manageable tasks. These simple tasks are put together to arrive at the desired solution. This is done by taking into consideration the syntax or “rules’’ of the computer programming language being used.
Life also is about solving problems as they come. We break down complex problems into manageable tasks and gradually arrive at a software solution.
This logic or problem-solving ability is a skill that can be enhanced and developed while learning to code. The more you solve problems with code, the better your problem-solving skills become. Through programming, you strengthen your problem-solving and critical thinking muscles.
2. Creative thinking
Coding is about creating something out of nothing. Programmers start with an abstract idea and create software realities that make our lives easier and more productive. There is never a dull moment in the imagination of a programmer. With a mixture of logic, math functions, and lines of code, the possibilities are endless.
Coding, therefore, is an avenue for young people to explore the infinite possibilities of their imagination and tap into their creative genius. And what better time to do this than when their brains are at their best in learning and developing?
Steve Jobs, one of the tech industry innovators once said; “Everyone should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think ‘’. This is not far from the truth. Rather than spend time playing videos and spending hours on Social Media, young people are encouraged to engage their thinking faculties and sharpen their creative skills.
3. Attention to detail
Learning to code is an excellent choice if you’re seeking a training field that emphasizes attention to detail. Attention to detail means keeping track of the semicolons, brackets, spacing, indentations, and other small formatting details that affect your code’s execution. The better a coder becomes at minimizing bugs in code, the better of a programmer he or she becomes.
Most programmers, therefore, develop and appreciate a detailed oriented mindset. They become meticulous about what they do owing to the lessons learned from previous mistakes.
Young people who learn to code also adapt this skill if they learn to code at a very early age. This makes them quick on picking up details that come as oversight to others who lack this life skill. An eye for detail makes them observant, work productively with little supervision, are highly organized, and are financially responsible.
4. Perseverance
After hours of writing lines of code, a “bug”, which is the technical name of an error in programming logic, could take hours, even days to spot and correct. If you ask, most programmers will tell you the frustration that comes with combing through lines of code only to find a missing dot as the error.
This makes programming a challenge but it also teaches perseverance. Perseverance is the ability to keep moving toward a set target despite obstacles. This is one of the skills young people can cultivate and maintain while learning to code. With perseverance, young people are better equipped to face setbacks in other aspects of their life. Problems will be perceived as opportunities to think differently rather than roadblocks. But it does not just end there. Coding builds self-confidence.
5. Confidence in learners
Confidence in self is also a by-product of the process of learning how to code.
Just knowing how to program or instruct a computer is not the ultimate goal of coding. The ultimate goal is to be able to use the skill of coding to build software solutions that solve problems in business and in the daily lives of people. Once a young person is able to build such software solutions, it automatically boosts his or her self-confidence significantly.
The transition from novice to software engineer builds self-esteem and trust in one’s ability. Coders develop confidence as a result of their capacity to create software entirely from abstract concepts. Learning to code reshapes a young person’s perspective of what is possible.
6. Math Skills
Although it does not take a math wizard to start learning how to code, programming gives shape and form to the math concepts young people learn in the classroom. The logic and computational thinking that goes into programming languages help young ones appreciate the algebra, variables, and constants they continually see in their textbooks.
Coding helps them apply principles that belong to mathematics and develop strong mathematical thinking that help them in many areas of their academic and personal life. This makes it more fun and engaging for students who find math difficult to understand theoretically.
The Takeaway
Beyond enhancing one’s coding abilities, there are several benefits to learning to code. It is a tool that helps young people in growing intellectually and become well-rounded persons with the necessary life skills to succeed.
In this regard, OpenLabs Ghana continues to develop tech training platforms such as “SUA BI” to assist young people in learning to code and develop tech and life skills. SUA BI (Do IT Now) is a 6-week Certificate IT training program designed to teach young people Python programming, Robotics, Graphic Design, Hardware Networking, and other tech skills.
There is also the tech scholarship initiative by Openlabs Ghana, which offers a massive 60 percent discount to qualified and dedicated student applicants who apply for certificate or diploma courses. Over the years, a considerable number of applicants have benefited from this scholarship initiative. Most of the beneficiaries have graduated and gone on to promising careers in tech both in Ghana and abroad.
Both SUA BI and the Openlabs Tech Scholarship initiative offer young people the opportunity to learn how to code and learn exciting skills in Software Engineering, Graphic Design, Python Programming, Robotics etc.
So what are you waiting for? Help your ward develop life skills by learning how to code and kickstart a promising career in tech. Learn more about how to enroll your ward for SUA BI and the Tech Scholarship today.
