Need a new hobby? Why not coding?

In a day and age where almost everything we do has an online aspect to it, it’s amazing how few of us know what this environment is made of. You might think you know the basics, but do you really?

If we randomly compare it to cooking, you know how food is made; what ingredients are used, how they’re mixed together, what spices are added to mix things up. Even if you don’t always cook your meals yourself, you understand the process that led up to what you put in your mouth. If you look at it like that, do you know how your Facebook page has come to be?

I, for one, don’t. But I’m trying to learn.

I first considered taking up programming as a small hobby after I saw this video from Code.org.

It seemed not only to make sense to try and learn some programming, but also a great way to get a better understanding of how this huge part of my world works.

After finishing the first basic lesson of HTML on CodeAcademy, I immediately got hooked. The programme’s simple but effective way of teaching is very addictive.

The website is easy enough for everyone to follow and teaches you in small steps the basics of coding: from HTML/CSS and JavaScript to PHP and Python.

It also monitors your progress and rewards you with (may I say very cute) badges, so you can keep track of the amount of work you’ve got through!

You may think that the way web pages are made is not as important as what they actually say or do for your online experience, nonetheless, it’s very interesting to be part of the creative process of developing something that’s come to be such an important part of our lives. So, why not give it a try once?

For me, it’s been more fun procrastinating this way instead of spending time on Facebook or Twitter.

Like a kid that’s never played a computer game before, I guarantee you’ll marvel at the ability to make things happen using a complex language that you’ve been taking advantage of daily, without even realising it’s there.

Even if you won’t end up making more than a red circle and a green square appear on a screen, it’s still a worthwhile experience that everyone should have.