Programming is like Math

Thirty years back, no one would have dared make such a statement, but now, times have changed, and yes, programming is, indeed, like Math. It is everywhere, just like Math is.

Math was a part of our educational requirement until we were at least 18, but not everyone of us is a mathematician today. Then why was Math forced down our throats? Well, because Math runs everything. We need basic mathematics in our daily life and certainly in most of our careers. So, we learned everything from calculus to algebra to geometry, knowing very well that we would probably not use 90% of our knowledge when we grew up.

That is exactly the case with programming today. Everything is digitized. There is an app for everything from food delivery to stock market prediction. Computers have entered every field, including traditional fields like construction and manufacturing. Most of the construction equipment are digitized nowadays, and what powers them? Programs, and thousands of lines of code.

Even art is digitized. So regardless of the field your kid is getting into, their knowledge in programming is going to give them a leg up.

But apart from that, coding also improves a kid’s mathematical capabilities by fostering logical thinking and problem-solving.

Coding improves logical thinking and creativity

A contradictory statement, but true in this case. Every code blocks your child creates will be logically driven.

Logic dictates programming, and once they start coding on their own, they will learn to dissect a problem into bite-sized components, apply logic to solve each component, and then finally combine all the components into a coherent solution.

That is how problem-solving works in the real world, regardless of field, and they will learn this invaluable skill as a child.

But let us be honest, your kid would be bored with just logic. That is where creativity comes in. The world runs on both creativity and logic, and the same holds true for programming.

There is no right answer in programming. If they are solving the problem, how they are solving it does not matter. There are best practices, of course, but if you ask two programmers to solve the same problem, chances are, their code blocks will look completely different.

So, while coming up with a solution, and multiple solutions for multiple problems down their programming journey, they will foster creativity as well.

The best of both worlds, don’t you think?

Coding is the future

Let us be very honest here. We are moving toward a completely digitized society at an amazingly fast pace. Everything is digitized. Apps are everywhere. Artificial intelligence is making new waves in the world every single day. Before we know it, we will have artificial intelligence–driven technologies cleaning our houses and driving our cars.

It is no wonder that programming has become an invaluable skill in today’s world, and the demand for programmers is just going to increase every year.

So, coding is indeed the future, and by learning to code at a young age, your child will have a leg up over their competitor. Sounds good, but why does your kid need coding if they were going to become a mechanical engineer, for example? Or a financial analyst?

This brings me back to my original argument. Everything is digitized, and coding is everywhere, in every single field. So, if your kid has a programming base, then will they not stand out from the rest?

For example, a financial analyst with knowledge in programming can code a stock prediction application themselves and hence save the company tons of resources, or they would at least be fluent enough in tech talk that they’d guide the programmers better and save their boss hundreds of production hours and back and forth.

So, regardless of what your kid is going to study in the future, coding is going to help them out, and in the immediate future, they have a monetizable skill they can use to make extra cash.

In their teenage years, they do not have to flip burgers at minimum wage as a side gig. They can freelance as a software developer and make at least three to four times more money working half the time.

Or better yet, your kid could decide to become an entrepreneur. As you know, almost every startup relates to programming and software in some way, so as a programmer, your kid can code the app themselves and easily save tens of thousands in programmer fees.

I believe those are very convincing arguments as to why your kid needs to start learning to code right now.

Python is easy

Well, that is pretty much it. Kids want to have fun, and if we want them to learn programming, it needs to be fun and easy. Python is both.

Unlike the other older languages where you need to learn a lot of syntaxes and theory before you can create your first program, Python is very straightforward. The syntax is easy to understand and logically sound. “Print” just prints something on the screen. Easy to remember, right? There is not a lot of memorizing to do, and your kid can start coding and creating from the get-go.

It is the perfect programming language for beginners with no prior knowledge of programming, and it is even better for kids because it is also fun.

Python has a lot of built-in kid-friendly modules and libraries that will help them draw graphics and create games and fun apps with just a few lines of code.

It can do a lot of things

Now, do not underestimate Python because it is easy to learn. It can be used in literally everything from web development to desktop app development to artificial intelligence.

The language is immensely powerful, and the libraries and modules that come with it are even more powerful. You have add-ons for everything.

You can create graphics with Turtle, beautiful desktop apps with Tkinter (like the calculator app you’re so fond of using on your laptop), create professional games with Pygame, develop full-blown websites and web apps with Django or Flask, and apply machine learning (artificial intelligence) algorithms with a host of easy to learn libraries. The possibilities are endless with Python.

By starting their programming journey with Python, your kids are not just stepping into the world of coding, they are also equipping themselves with skills in one of the most highly sought-after (and paid) programming languages of this time.

What more? With the rate at which Python’s popularity, and its adoption into fast-moving fields like artificial intelligence, is growing, it is obvious that Python is here to stay, so your kids’ skills are unlikely to go stale in the future.

From this point onward, I will be addressing the kids.