Take advantage of a free weekly coding class.
With all the possible New Year's resolutions, there is one that you may not have thought about, but it can really help you in your career and in your life.
What is it? Learning computer programming. Even if you don't work in technology, learning programming can help you become a more effective employee, a better computer user and could even give you the inspiration to create small programs that make your work easier.
But what if you can't afford to take computer classes? No worries. There is a new program called Code Year, that is trying to teach those who are new to programming how to code. The class is free and they are promising to release one new lesson each week. The program was created by Code Academy, a new company that designs easy to use tutorials.
The classes are geared toward people with average technical skills and each weekly class should take about 5 hours to complete. That boils down to being about an hour a day. Which is a small investment in something that has the potential to make you more employable and more creative.
As I'm sure you already know, computers are everywhere. At almost any type of job, you'll be required to use a computer to do at least a portion of it. Computers make our work easier and they have even become a part of our daily lives. When I was in middle school, we all had to learn how to program in BASIC. Back then, computers were only useful if you could program them. Now, not so much. In fact, people who have little to no understanding of computers can use a smartphone or a tablet do do almost anything. However, once you understand coding, you'll be able to think in the same language as your computer. It might not sound like much, but the knowledge that every program is just lines of code is extremely empowering. Once you become familiar with how it's done, you can even create your own programs to make your life easier. You can come up with ways to streamline your work process and even automate some of it. You could create your own websites or help make your company's site better.
The uses for coding are many. Even if you don't think that you would have what it takes to be a computer programmer, you should still give this a try. After all, it's free and the only thing you have to lose is your own time. Not only will you understand the programs you use better, but you'll be able to add value to yourself as an employee. I for one, plan to make this one of my resolutions for the new year.
Would you sign up for one of these courses? Why or why not?
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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