How to learn coding: 3 simple steps to get started

This year alone, 50,000 tech employees have lost their jobs, according to Layoffs.fyi. That’s in addition to the over 260,000 that faced layoffs in 2023. 

But by and large, the tech job market is still doing well, according to experts. CompTIA analysis notes that the tech unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in February 2024. Overall, computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow much faster than the national average over the next decade—with median annual salaries just above $100,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

It’s no-brainer that one of the broad hard skills most important to the tech and computer science space is coding. 

“Learning to code is like unlocking a new form of literacy, enabling us to communicate with machines, solve problems creatively, and bring ideas to life,” says Pat Yongpradit, chief academic officer at Code.org. “It empowers us to shape the future, innovate, and act as a creator of technology, rather than a passive consumer.”

While it is a lucrative ability to have, especially if you’re interested in getting in on the high-paying salary jobs, it’s admittedly not a walk in the park to learn.

But it can also be argued that learning to code is becoming easier because of an increase in access as well as advancements in AI. The tech is largely able to write basic code and detect errors—making the process more productive for developers.

“One thing large language models (LLMs) do pretty well is write basic code,” Yongpradit adds. “Yet, learning to code remains crucial in an age of AI as it equips students with the ability to identify and fix errors in AI-generated code, nurtures vital higher-order thinking skills such as reasoning, problem-solving, and critical analysis, and offers insight into the foundational principles of technologies that are increasingly shaping our world.”

3 simple steps to start learning how to code

1. Explore

To begin—and this may go without saying—find areas of technology that excite you. Pay closer attention to websites you visit, video games you play, and apps you utilize. Figure out what you think is cool versus not, what drives curiosity versus disinterest, and ultimately, what you think would be fascinating to build yourself. 

Play around with programs like CodeCombat, which allows you to start exploring the basics of coding while in a fun game environment. (It was also recently integrated into Roblox.) Or, even more simply, just watch YouTube videos about coding and cool projects.

Overall, just be curious, ask yourself questions, and begin to think about if this is something you’d want to pursue as a career.

2. Learn

There are seemingly endless opportunities to learn coding. Schools across the country are adopting programs and courses that expose students to computer science at an early age—sometimes even in elementary school. There is certainly a plethora of opportunities to learn how to code through community colleges and four-year universities, but knowing the basics of the subject will help you no matter where your exposure begins. 

Here’s five learning opportunities you may want to check out:

3. Build

Having a portfolio to prove not only to yourself, but also to others, including teachers and hiring managers—is what will ultimately help propel you to a future career in technology. But it doesn’t have to be extravagant.

One of the coding courses may have introduced you to text editors or integrated development environment (IDE) which will help you build out your code. Visual Studio Code, Atom, or Vim are some examples. 

Start by creating a simple tic-tac-toe or rock-paper-scissors game with Python or a different coding language and grow out your skills slowly but surely.

But importantly, keep in mind that learning to code takes time, and it absolutely cannot be achieved overnight. The good news is that it doesn’t have to take years—and you don’t necessarily have to learn through a traditional four-year degree program. 

Kunal Ahuja, who leads consumer business at Skillsoft’s Codecademy, says it could take as little as three months from someone with zero coding experience to be realistically ready to apply for a job. 

“If someone’s circumstances allow them to really commit and immerse themselves, (to) go all in, you can do it in three to six months. And on the longer end, we’ve seen people take a year, year and a half. That would be the range,” he says.

Above all, learn at your own pace and interest. It is not a horse race. Don’t burn yourself out. Tech jobs are not disappearing anytime soon. And also don’t forget to have fun.