03 Jul 3 Good Reasons Why Singaporean Fresh Grads Should Learn Programming
Programming is going to become the hottest skill for job seekers in all industries, as the digital transformation takes place in Singapore. As both an IT recruitment outsourcing agency and a place that aims to promote IT and Tech jobs in Singapore, we believe that coding is a good hard skill to help boost your resume. But there are many other reasons to help you learn to code even if you’re not going to be a programmer.
Some reasons to learn programming and/or coding in Singapore are:
A. Upsell your resume: Despite its popularity, or the growing need for programmers here in Singapore. Not everyone outside of Singapore’s Tech and IT industry can code. If you’re planning on jumping into a career path that requires you to communicate between the IT department and your own team, programming might be useful.
B. Better communication and collaboration skills: Programming is a job that requires constant communication amongst different departments.
C. Programming helps boost your problem solving and logic skills
D. Opens doors to other job opportunities: Additionally, programming leads to possible freelancing opportunities as well. It’s a great way to make extra money.
E. It allows you to understand other aspects of Singapore’s IT and Tech industry
If you’re interested in picking up programming in Singapore. Below, are five free resources available online for Singaporeans to learn programming from:
1. Find a mentor
Think of mentors as free tutors willing to help you perfect any skills related to the IT and Tech industry. A mentor will be able to help you get further than you expected. If you’re looking to find a free mentor, you can do so through websites like Meetup as well as the UX community on Slack to name a few.
More ways to help you find a coding mentor:
A. Online networking events: If you’re an introvert, you’d be thankful that almost all networking events are currently being held online. Meetup, Linkedin, and Facebook might have groups that can help you network online.
B. Volunteering: Volunteering is a good way to build your hard skills as well as network. Find a cause that you’re passionate about and join them. It’s also a great way to meet like-minded individuals.
C. Talk to your colleagues: If you’re working in a department that deals with the IT team or the IT industry, a good way to find mentors is by talking to colleagues. Head down to your IT department and strike up a conversation. Chances are they’ll be more than willing to mentor you through your programming journey.
D. Online forums: Online forums such as Reddit are a great place to network and talk to programmers of all levels. The subreddit /r/programming is a popular forum to find programming courses, tips, tutorials, as well as questions and advice related to coding. According to this Medium article, most programming languages have a subreddit of their own (e.g. /r/learnpython). Have a quick browse on Reddit to find your ideal forum.
2. Learn with free resources available online
There are many self-taught developers out there. It is possible to land a job as a developer in Singapore’s Tech and IT industry without formal training and qualifications. All you need to do is invest time and energy into learning with the free resources available online.
We’ve gathered some of the best-reviewed free resources for you to learn to code from, below. Keep in mind that the list is not exhaustive and we’ll be constantly updating it with free websites to learn coding from. It includes:
A. Codecademy: This is perhaps the most popular website to learn coding from. If lectures bore you, codeacademy is a great website to learn from as they focus on interactive learning.
Programming languages you’ll learn: HTML, CSS, Ruby, Python, PHP, Javascript. Visit codecademy here.
B. Khan Academy: Gen Z and Millennial employees might be familiar with this website. Khan Academy’s content is usually aimed at children and younger students. There are a few coding courses available for children too! It can be a new language to learn.
Programming languages you’ll learn: HTML, CSS, Javascript, and SQL. Visit Khan Academy here.
C. Coursera: Another well-known website that allows you to learn to code for free. Users will also have the chance to pay for a Coursera Verified Certificate. This is a great resource for those looking to learn beyond coding basics. In addition, Coursera also provides users with “Specializations” — which is basically a collection of courses on a specialized topic.
Programming languages you’ll learn: A wide range! From the basics (e.g. HTML, CSS) to more advanced languages. Visit Coursera here.
D. SoloLearn: Spend most of your day out and about instead of being seated in front of the computer? Or just looking to learn to kill time on public transport? You might be interested in SoloLearn, a mobile app aimed at teaching you coding.
Programming languages you’ll learn: HTML, C#, Python, Javascript, Ruby to name a few. Visit SoloLearn here.
3. Research how the learning process will be like
Embarking on a journey to learn to program on your own can be a confusing journey. Some of us might not even be sure of where to start! But before jumping into the journey try reading up reviews on how tough programming can be to learn.
Questions to ask on your self-learning coding journey include:
- What is your purpose of learning a programming language?
- Which languages are best for which part of the stack?
- What do you want to create?
- Should I do this as a hobby or a full-time job?
Some websites that’ll help you with your research will be included below. Again, the list is not exhaustive. We’ll keep updating them. Below are some websites to find reputable reviews and educational programming blog posts:
A. Quora: The motto for Quora is “ask and you shall receive”. The whole website is dedicated to asking the Internet all sorts of questions you have. This might be a great place to start if you have a number of questions about programming. You’re bound to get answers from programmers of different backgrounds (i.e. self-taught, industry professionals).
B. Learn to code with me: This is a great resource for figuring out the different courses as well as educational blog posts about your programming journey. If reading is not your forte, there’s also a podcast to listen to!Visit Learn to code with me here.
With all this information, are you looking to pick up coding as one of your next hard skills? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
*This article first appeared on BGC Singapore. View the original article, “Reasons Why Singaporean Job Seekers Should Learn Programming” here.
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