Parents want young kids to be ready for the future, and teenagers to begin to take steps to prepare themselves for what's ahead. Nobody makes the exact same calculation, but generally, a person considers their interests, skills, and what the job market values. 

Learning how to code can be an excellent response to all these considerations. Please read on to learn why.

The World Runs on Coding

Knowing how to write code gives you a behind-the-scenes understanding of how the things driving daily life work. For example, pretty much everyone knows how to flip through Netflix, but knowing how to write the coding language it runs on gives you a more holistic sense of how it works. 

Being fluent in coding languages lets you be fluent with the devices themselves, which is crucial in a digital world where phones, computers, and TV screens occupy such a prominent role. If you want to impact how the digital world runs instead of getting moulded by it, learn how to code.

Employers Want to Hire Coders

Advanced computer skills open up many doors, sometimes in jobs you don't quite expect. Learning to code might be the best way to get an exciting and lucrative job. Everyone imagines you can learn to code and become a professional video game coder, for example, but you'll also be an asset in adjacent jobs, like a front-end developer, back-end developer, full-stack developer, computer systems engineer, and more.

Coding Can Be Fun

Good news: learning to code doesn't only prepare you for the workforce; it is also a lot of fun! Leading online computer coding courses like Real Programming 4 Kids revolve around teaching students how to design and code their own video games.

There's a perception among some that coding is dry or not very fun. In the leading programs, kids and teens get as addicted to learning to code as they do to playing video games! Creating a game, one that students can play themselves or share with friends and family, becomes its own type of game. 

As you get better at learning to code, you'll get more granular control over the game and produce better work. The best coding courses embed gamification concepts into the lessons, so the dynamics that keep gamers hooked on playing help motivate them to learn.

Vital Coding Languages

When you do learn to code, ensure that you learn the right languages, which means in-demand coding languages employers expect you to know. If a coding language is used to build platforms millions of people use every day, like Netflix, that's a reassuring sign.

Look for a coding class that teaches vital coding languages, such as:

• Python

• Java

• JavaScript

• C#

• C++

You want skills that are directly useful, and that means specific coding languages. 

Secondary Benefits

Learning how to code imparts invaluable secondary skills that help people later on in their careers and life in general. Parents want their children to learn how to code because it indirectly teaches them to think and problem-solve like an engineer.

Coding students need to assess problems logically, test conclusions and feel at peace evaluating ideas that turn out to be incorrect. Far from beating themselves up over mistakes, coding students come to understand that errors are an inevitable part of problem-solving.

Such lessons improve how people think and even feel, with self-esteem on the rise. 

Mentors in Place

Finally, learning to code gives teenagers access to the perfect mentors. Young coding teachers in the best programs come from computer engineering or computer science backgrounds. They also grew up playing video games, so their passion trickles down to students. 

Plus, their recent experience navigating the job market gives them real-world experience to draw on when fielding questions about where coding skills lead. The best coding teachers inspire the youth to advance their computer skills and potentially begin a lucrative career in an exciting field.

Nobody can say for sure what the future holds, but computer programming isn't going anywhere. Between the games, websites, and apps accessible by smartphones and computers, learning how to code is the best way today's youth can future-proof their skills.