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Gone are the days where programmers are the only ones who knew how to code. The world today runs on code and is rapidly integrating with digital technology; most of the successful global startups are technology-enabled such as Dropbox, Pinterest, and Amazon.

So what’s your strategy? Finding a technical co-founder is not easy, and VCs may be less likely to fund startups that lack one.

Learning to code will turn a passive participant in the digital world to an active player in the field of tech, and that’s why we’re showing you some of the benefits of learning to code!

  1. You will save time and money! How much will you end up paying a developer vs. learning to code? It’s not a small amount of money! Small updates and content tweaks total up to high costs and a lot of time wasted with the developer. But if you learn to code, you could save a lot of money by making the small edits yourself! You will also be smart when dealing with freelancers; they won’t be cheating you any longer because you have a background in coding. You don’t need to contact your web developer now and then. Besides, it’s pretty fun and rewarding to do those small changes to the website all by yourself plus, you’ll save a lot of time!
  1. Learn the language of tech – Learning to code is no different than learning a new language. Think of it this way, imagine you moved to Hong Kong to start your business, you would need to learn a bit of Chinese and research about the local market. Similarly, when you learn to code, you are enabling yourself to today’s digital environment.

Lana Al Attar, GDG Manama Manama and Founder and CEO of Gud Juju, told us, saying you don’t want to learn coding is the new “Employee who doesn’t know how to use ‘Microsoft Word’ yet tries to apply for a job position”. Being a social tech entrepreneur, Lana strongly encourages entrepreneurs to learn to code.

  1. Customise your app/website – Founder and Managing Director of Mannai Tech, Khalifa A. AlMannai, said, “When we envision the look of our website, we often find it difficult to communicate the vision to developers. However, if you do the coding yourself, you will be able to surpass such limitations. Eventually, you will be able to bring your vision forward.”. In other words, learning how to code will help you better understand what is and isn’t possible as it relates to building and customizing your website/app!
  1. Get your prototype quicker – You come up with this great idea for your startup in the middle of the night, and you are ecstatic to bring that idea to the table. Thanks to your coding skills, you will be able to create a prototype without the need of waiting for a developer to do it for you! You’ll end up saving money and have your prototype!

“Technology has been encouraging various startup businesses regarding e-commerce and e-businesses. Having to learn the basics of coding does not take much time and effort since everything is accessible with a click of a mouse. Also, learning simple codes could lead to a huge drop in expenses of an enterprise or an entrepreneur.” added Shaima Almeer, Developer from the Gud Juju team,

You don’t have to be as good as Zuckerberg, but some basic knowledge of coding goes a long way!

We won’t leave you just yet! Here are some websites that teach you the basics of coding for free! One Million Arab Coders, Dash, Codecademy and HTML5 Rocks.

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