I want to talk about some of the benefits I have seen in learning to code since turning 40 years old and how doing so can help you too.

How did I get here in the first place?

In January of 2011, I was a career police officer and if you had asked me at the time what I would be doing in 10 years I would have told you that I would still be doing the same job I loved. I simply couldn't imagine doing anything else. By November of that same year, the London riots had raged, I had a new baby, and my wife was sick. Life changes and it feels like in today's world that the pace of change gets faster every year. After seeing and experiencing the dangers of the rioting and with a poorly wife to care for I decided to leave my career behind me and focus on my family. Flash forward to 10 years later and I found myself looking for a new career, one that allowed me to help others but also challenged me intellectually and could fit around family life. I am still a full-time father after all.

After much research and some failed attempts to return to the workplace, I discovered the world of programming. Since then my life has begun to change and I am convinced it can for you too. Here is how learning to code can improve your life if you decide to stick with it.

1. In an ever-changing world, it is good to be able to adapt. New technologies are coming out all the time and learning to code helps you to stay relevant while providing you with new and in-demand skills.

2. New career options, the possibility to go freelance, or to create a side gig. You get to choose your path and still find a way to provide for your family or make some extra cash around them. With the pandemic, there has been a focus on remote working for which coding is perfectly suited. So, if you are looking for something that allows you to work from home this could be a great solution. Even if you are happy with your current career learning to code has the potential to give you other roles within your company that you might not have considered or other responsibilities and a possible raise.

3. Meet new people and begin networking again. If like me, you have been out of the workplace for a while or you are in a dead-end career or simply would like to get to know new people then coding can help you to do so. The developer community on Twitter is a good example of this where the devs there are often found sharing ideas, helping each other to solve problems, and sharing new opportunities. Grow your network and watch what happens, you will be pleased you did.

4. Improved physical and mental health is a sometimes overlooked but welcome side effect of learning to code. As you overcome challenges, learn new things, connect with new people, create, and build a new career you will discover a change in your mood and a desire to improve other areas of your life. Before I started to code I was depressed and overweight but after a few weeks, I found myself wanting to eat better and started training again. I valued the extra energy I gained from being fitter and I even changed my evening routine to help improve my sleep. Overall I started to feel different and this has had a positive impact on other areas of my life, most notably in my relationship with my wife and in the way I interact with my kids.

5. Another welcome side effect of coding is an improved ability to solve problems. As a developer or programmer, you will constantly be faced with bugs and other issues that come up and you will need to become comfortable in trying to solve these. When you do and you get something working it can feel epic, giving you a real boost of confidence. I have found that problems in other areas of my life are now easier to deal with and I approach them differently, resolving them more logically and calmly than before.

Finally, all of the above will have you thinking differently about life and where you are. The compound effect of these changes can be amazing and who knows where this new journey will take you. My advice is to just start, join the community, write a few lines of code a day, to begin with, and enjoy the ride. If you need help to get started then follow me or catch me on Twitter.