Do you love puzzles and obsess over fixing broken technology? Then you could have a future career as a developer!
And there is a lot to tempt you. As well as an exciting career in tech (forecast for rapid growth in the next decade), there’s also the money side of things. The average coder earns almost $50,000.
Of course, you’ll need to learn the ropes first if you are new to coding. But how long does it take to learn to code? Let’s find out.
How Long Does It Take To Learn to Code?
Coding is a broad umbrella term encompassing several languages, each with its own rules and intricacies. Let’s look at what these are first before delving into the timescales.
The Most Popular Code Languages
Coding language trends change all the time. Here are the most popular languages at the moment to learn:
- Python
- Javascript
- Java
- HTML
- CSS
- SQL
- C#
It’s worth checking out career options for each language before deciding. Some offer more career opportunities than others.
Typical Timescales
You can learn the basics of coding in the first one or two weeks, and with some persistence and commitment, you should be able to write your first program by then. But to get to a competent level, you’ll need around three months.
That’s for someone learning in an intensive environment for 30-40 hours a week.
Perhaps you intend on picking up coding part-time in the evenings or on weekends. You’ll need to calculate how many months it will take, depending on how much time you can devote each week.
But those timescales won’t give you enough experience to apply for coding jobs. To get to a level where you can understand and debug someone else’s code, most employers will seek two or more years of experience.
With dedication, you might reach that advanced skill level in a year.
What Skills Do You Need?
Learning to code takes a particular type of mindset.
Some people thrive in a coding environment, which will make a difference in how quickly you pick up the skills. Here are some of the characteristics that you’ll need to become an excellent coding professional:
- Excellent problem-solving skills
- The ability to persevere with a challenge
- Analytical skills
- The ability to work in a team
- Fantastic attention to detail
- A desire to make positive changes to improve the status quo
Many coders love coding so much that they’ll often do it in their spare time too. It takes passion and commitment to become an excellent coder.
What’s Best: Self-Taught or Guided?
One of the plus points about learning to code is that you’ll have plenty of educational options from which to choose. Those will broadly fall into two categories – instructor-led or self-taught.
What’s best for you will come down to personal preference. Self-taught will give you more flexibility to work the hours that suit you but are most suited to those with high motivation.
You’ll need to plan your training before you start to ensure you have all the right resources, such as the .net ocr library.
Instructors are helpful if you prefer to troubleshoot problems as part of a group. They’ll chat through challenging areas and help you master those faster than you will if working independently.
Your Future in Coding
So how long does it take to learn to code? Ultimately, the answer rests with you.
If you can spare the hours and have plenty of drive, you could excel at coding in under a year! And that skill could bring you a rewarding and successful career.
Start learning more about programming languages for coding careers by visiting our business tech section.
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