The books all say "everyone can code". I believe that the same way a defense lawyer would. Of course anyone can type code into a computer - but having it do anything meaningful - having it solve YOUR problems is something entirely different.
I like online business - its always been where I have seen the greatest successes. My background is IT - so there has never really been a time where my lack of technical knowledge has stopped me. I've learned about a dozen languages in my life - but I code in most of them poorly.
To learn to code and build something meaningful (like a prototype for your business) you have to first of all select a language. There are only 2 languages I would recommend people to learn as a first language - Python if you really plan on programming or Ruby if you want a language that is as close to English as possible.
There are pros and cons to both of these languages - but both of them will allow you to build rich web apps, or even standalone programs.
To really learn to program - you have to do a lot of it. I took a lot of classes when I was younger - and I can barely remember any of it. In order to program you have to find projects that you find useful - or you will forget it. You also have to constantly program small things in order to stay relevant.
I relearned Python a few years back. I knew the drill - I made a list of a few simple projects and began working on them. I have a weather station hooked up to my computer - so my first project was to take the data from a CSV file on my local machine - upload it to my server - and have it display the relevant information on a website.
In doing my own project - I relied more on the official documentation - I read other peoples posts on forums and I even found similar code to what I was trying to write (which allowed me to write the program a few different ways).
Knowing how to code will save you time and money - as well as give you a new perspective on your project and on life.
Sometimes when I am working through an idea - I write it in pseudo code and see how it plays out. Knowing how to code gives you a structured way to solve problems both with a computer and without.
When we start businesses and are in the "bootstrap" phase - where we are wearing "all the hats" - knowing how to code can accelerate your growth. Its a lot easier to attract investors and to attract other programmers if you already have a functioning prototype.
There are a lot of reasons people should learn to code. Everyone has a different learning style - if you've tried before and have been unsuccessful its probably the method you chose to learn. Full immersion is the only way to do it if you want it to stick. A site like CodeAcademy may teach you the basics - but if you want to learn to code and be able to solve problems - you need to learn to code by solving your own problems.
Ryan Geddes is a writer and entreprenuer located in Toronto Canada. When he's not writing, hes helping with House&Canvas Chalk Finish Furniture Paint.
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