The role of technology has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Computers and technology have permeated almost every aspect of our lives: what we buy, how we get from place to place, how we work, or where we eat after work – we decide with technology.

For this and many other reasons, programming is one of the most valuable skills you can acquire in the 21st century. Whether you want to advance your career, create software, create games, or understand the world of technology, learning to program can be an important aid to your professional and personal development.

However, learning to program can be very intimidating. Even before I wrote my first program, I thought programmers were an elite group of professionals with talent beyond anything I could possess. From the conversations I had with aspiring programmers, it is a common belief that programming is an occupation reserved for only the most brilliant technicians.

I want to make it clear right away that this is not the case. With time, diligence and access to the Internet anyone can become a programmer from scratch.

Depending on what you want to learn and how deeply into it you want to go, it can take from several months to a lifetime to learn, but everyone starts with the basics.

Before you get started, first think about why you want to learn to program. This will help determine what language to learn first and what projects to work on. Here are some of the benefits of learning to program:

Acquiring professional skills.
Let’s deal with the most obvious one: being able to program is an advantage in getting a job. As technology continues to be woven into our daily lives, development skills will become more and more in demand among candidates – according to Indeed.com, several of the most sought-after skills are in the area of computer science.

To make a career turn toward IT or to move into a more technical position in your field, knowledge of at least one relevant programming language is a must. However, this doesn’t just apply to developers. Web designers need to know HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Project managers need to know the inner workings of the tools they help create. Even if you have a simple WordPress site, familiarity with front-end languages and a little bit of PHP will help with it.

If you’re not applying for a strictly technical position, programming experience is still a good advantage – it demonstrates technical knowledge and the ability to understand abstract concepts and solve complex problems.

Finally, the ability to program will allow you to pursue freelancing and develop a freelance career. Along the way, you will have much more control over your career and the projects you take on.

The ability to create products
One of the greatest benefits of learning programming is the opportunity to bring your ideas to life. Do you have a concept for a website, app, or computer game? Now you can create it exactly the way you want it and then share it with the world.

Whether you want to monetize your project, host it on an open-source platform like GitHub, or just create something as a hobby, you’ll have the knowledge and tools to do it. In addition, as we will soon see, your own projects play an important role in the learning and job search process.

Understanding the world around you
Technology is spreading and evolving every year. Learning even the basics of computer programming will help you understand components of the growing digital landscape, including that thing you probably use every day called the Internet. You’ll get a whole new perspective on the technology in your life and an understanding of how it all comes together.

It’s fun.
For many, learning to code is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Once you’ve mastered the basics and started working on your own original projects, the process will feel less like learning and more like recreation. After all, if you don’t enjoy it, why study?