I can figure out how to do it
The only reason why you should learn how to code is that once you become a programmer you’ll have a bias towards "I don’t know how, but I can figure out how to do it" for everything in your life.
Honestly, this is the wildest mental shift I've ever experienced. Because programming makes everything impossible into reality, so the mind always becomes integrated with its life that nothing is impossible. As Marie Forleo said : "Everything is figureoutable".
"I don't know how this complex thing works but I'm pretty sure I could build it in a weekend" - friends
That shift from "someone should make it" to "I’ll give it a shot". That is an entirely different level of thinking!!!
From my experience, I don’t think this comes from learning how to code / program. I think it’s more likely to be the opposite: having that behavior trait makes you more likely to learn how to code.
This doesn't only apply to coding. It's a mindset whereby if you value a potential outcome you'll do what it takes to achieve it. I think this mostly applies to having a growth mindset.
As a programmer, you are figuring out stuff new to you every single day. Over time the whole life obstacle becomes a matter of proper googling.
It's baffling how often I find myself reminding people that they can just Google stuff 😂. Programmer mindset!!
Programming gives you the feeling of what sucking feels like which, in turn, gives you the feeling of what success feels like.
It's a quick way of learning that progress can be achieved by repeatedly banging your head against a wall.
Being a programmer is our time's version of being a frontier settler in the early 1900s in Malaysia 🇲🇾 fighting for independence against the colonialists. Trying to build the future and figuring things out as we go.
You'll also have a bias for "why am I doing this extra manual task when I can automate it once and click a button forevermore". There are often a ton of no-code solutions that can achieve the same outcome, or act as a proof-of-concept with far less effort and time spent.
You may also have a bias towards “meh, what’s the worst that can happen? I can always just pull back the commit…”
Having this kind of mindset permeates everything, too, not just coding!
"Everything is figureotable" turned me into an artisan. I became an experimental Music Producer with this kind of mindset. I have become a consistent writer for the past year. In my youth, I was a free-hand artist and drew my thoughts and nature freely.
I am not saying that you must learn to code. I want to emphasize how when we learn to code, the "Everything is figureoutable" will be automatically embedded in your mindset. Also, you can apply this mindset without learning to code. It is just a natural human trait that needs to be trained. As my friend said :
All(most) programmers have a growth mindset but not all growth mindset people are programmers.
The end