Should I learn to code?

The answer is...I don't know 🤷🏽‍♀️​ but if you are asking yourself this maybe you should.

Some days ago I was invited to a Fireside Chat 💬​ to talk about different issues and I was the only junior on the panel. I'm not gonna lie, I was scared and felt that I had nothing to give amidst the wonderful people I was sharing the stage with.

Thankfully I was proved wrong after the chat ends as some people approach me because they are juniors as well and felt we had things in common 💕.

But there were a couple of conversations that resonated with me as they were curious about learning to code but are scared of it so I want to share my thoughts about it.

✨​ My experience

I'm gonna tell you a little bit about my experience of learning to code and maybe, just maybe, this will help you to answer this question.

First of all, you should know that I did a three-month Bootcamp. *Do I recommend the experience? hell no! 🙅🏽‍♀️ Would I repeat it? definitely yes! 🙈​ *

The Bootcamp experience was amazing and I learned a lot but it is exhausting, expensive and it gives you zero guarantees that you will like it or find a job.

However, for me, it was exactly what I needed because I had zero background, zero experience, and no idea of how to start. I just thought it was what I needed. And it was 🙌​.

I do not recommend it not because it's a bad idea, but because is such a personal decision and I don't think this is the only way.

There are a lot of paths ​🛣️ to get where you want and I think everyone should explore them all before making a decision.

💻​ Why should I learn to code?

Technology is a highly privileged industry. And I'm not going to tell you that you are going to 💰​ earn 100k yearly 💰​in your first year of coding because that kind of clickbait is for digital magazines and newspapers, but I am going to tell you that the conditions within the tech industry are really good and way better than in others.

I've had really good jobs before, and oh! really bad and precarious ones. But in tech with practice, study and effort is not impossible to land a decent job with respectable conditions and that is a truth.

So I do think that learning to code may help you to find a job where you can solve problems, grow and learn every day new things at the same time that you can pay your bills with a decent contract.

🙅🏽‍♀️ Here comes the huge but

But you have to like it. Well...or not I don't know, I'm not here to judge your decisions.

The developer's job is to solve problems, and you often get frustrated. So I think that everything is easier if you like what you do, the downs are not so down and the ups feel like you are in heaven 🎊.

​🚫​ Why should I not learn to code?

Because "everyone" does or because you have to or because you are being bombarded about the profession of tomorrow, everyone-should-learn-to-code-cult.

I think choosing a career, or changing it as I did, should be taken seriously, and sometimes, people feel the pressure of external speeches and feel like they must.

You don't owe anyone anything. Whatever decision you make it must be yours and no one else.

❓ Some common questions

Is it possible that I won't like it?

Yes, it is really possible, all the chances are there. You may try doing a free course just to try, get to know some languages, and see if you enjoy it.

Should I do a Bootcamp?

Not necessarily. You can, but you do have not to do it. You can do courses, watch videos, tutorials, do projects, do a full career, or do a Bootcamp.

All the paths are right, you just have to consider them all and take the one that fits you and your reality the best.

Should I learn to code?

Ha! here is my honest answer to this. What I did and what helped me to make a decision is that I asked myself:

If I don't do this, one year from now, would I regret the decision?

The answer was yes and here I am, one year later writing this ​🫶​