If you've been thinking about studying programming, learning how to code, or are just considering your options, completing a programming course could be a great idea.
There are programming courses all over New Zealand with plenty of really good courses available in Auckland.
In this article, we'll look at why you should study programming, some of the best programming courses you can do in Auckland, and how to get help with your studies.
Reasons to Learn Programming
There are lots of reasons to study programming and if that's what you want to do, then there's no reason why you shouldn't. However, if you're still undecided, these reasons should hopefully convince you why studying programming is worth it.
Be Creative
While some aspects of programming can be quite dull, it's a myth that programming doesn't allow you to be creative.
Programming requires a lot of creativity and it's often up to programmers to come up with creative solutions.
If you've always wanted to flex your creative muscle, programming could be a great way to do it.
Become More Adaptable
Since technology never stops advancing, anybody working with technology will have to become adaptable.
By choosing to study programming, you're not just committing to complete your course, you're committing to becoming a lifelong learner.
Since you'll always need to be learning about the latest advancements in programming and computer science, you'll become more adaptable as you constantly work to be at the forefront of whatever industry you end up working in.
Better Understand Technology
You can't really understand programming if you don't understand technology. Since programming is basically how we tell computers and machines how to do things, you need to understand how technology works to provide software solutions.
This understanding will help you with technology beyond just programming, too, and you'll find that you're a better user of all technology for having studied programming.
Develop Valuable Skills
Programming skills are incredibly value in industries that need programmers, obviously, but lots of skills that you gain through programming can be used elsewhere.
Programming teaches lots of other transferable skills that are useful in almost any job and the skill set of a programmer would be of value in almost any job.
Improve Your Critical Thinking and Logic
By studying programming, you can develop your critical thinking and logic. Programming regularly requires you to think critically and apply logic to problems to create programming solutions.
Programming problems can also be quite abstract at times and not only do you need to work out what the solution to any given problem would be, you also need to work out how you would get a computer or machine to act out said solution through the code you write for it.
Learn About Other Fields
Programming is also a great way to learn about plenty of other industries. Programming is an essential part of so many different fields that you'll have opportunities to gain expertise and skills in very specific industries as well as in programming.
There are lots of ways to mix programming with any of your other interests, especially if you can find work in a particular industry or area.
Learn Problem-solving Skills
As programming encourages creative and critical thinking, as you study programming, you'll gain lots of useful problem-solving skills.
These skills don't just apply to programming and knowing how to approach and solve problems can be applied to other aspects of your work and personal life.
Work as Part of a Team
Programming often involves being part of a team and if you like working collaboratively with others, studying programming is your way to find jobs that will have you working with others.
This also means that you'll develop skills for working in teams, collaborating with others, and being a valuable member of said teams.
Work on Your Own Projects
Programming also gives you opportunities to work on your own. If you don't have the option to work on individual projects at your job, you can always work on them in your free time at home.
This also gives you more opportunities to be creative if you're finding that the projects at your job aren't creatively satisfying.
The Best Places to Study Programming in Auckland
If all these reasons to study programming have you convinced, you now just need to start looking for places where you can study programming or learn to code.
Fortunately for you, there are lots of opportunities to study programming in Auckland so whether you already live there or are considering a move, these are the places you might want to look to.
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is one of the top 100 universities in the world. Since only 40% of applicants are accepted onto courses, competition for places is quite fierce.
Students wanting to learn more about programming will want to look at computer science courses as they cover topics like:
- algorithms and programming languages
- applications
- computability and complexity theory
- computer architecture and system software
- data communications, networks, and hypermedia
- data structure and management
Undergraduate options in computer science at the University of Auckland include the Bachelor of Science (BSc) or the Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) (BAdvSci(Hons)).
These courses are good for those who want to become programmers, game developers, software architects, front-end or back-end developers, cloud systems engineers, or database developers.
There are also postgraduate and doctoral options for students who want to continue their studies after graduating.
If you'd prefer to study coding on the other side of the North Island, there are plenty of great programming courses in Wellington, too!
Auckland University of Technology
At the Auckland University of Technology, there are also options to study programming through the university's Computer Science and Software Engineering Department.
Undergraduate courses offered include the Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences and the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Software Engineering.
The Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences is accredited by the Institute of IT Professionals NZ (IITP).
There are lots of postgraduate options at the Auckland University of Technology, too, including postgraduate certificates and diplomas in computer and information sciences, masters in computer and information sciences, cyber security and digital forensics, and IT project management.
If these courses don't take your fancy, there are still lots of great coding courses in Hamilton.
Online Learning Platforms
You can learn programming from almost anywhere in the world provided you have an internet connection.
Online learning is becoming increasingly popular, especially for subjects like programming that need to be studied mostly on computers anyway. Here are some of the most popular online learning platforms for programming and computer science.
Udemy
Udemy is an online learning platform that generally offers shorter and more specific courses. Their most popular courses are on Javascript, web development, C#, AJAX, full-stack web development, and even courses on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for kids.
There are free courses on Udemy, but the most popular ones have to be paid for. However, the prices of these short courses are naturally much cheaper than the cost of studying a degree.
Coursera
Coursera is a massive open online course (MOOC) provider that offers plenty of courses across various subjects.
Many of the programming and computer science courses are offered by either universities or tech companies and while some of them can count as credit towards degrees, they're mostly for developing particular skills.
There are lots of free courses on Coursera and some even offer to option to earn a certificate or accreditation if you're willing to pay for it.
The best programming courses aren't just on the North Island, either. You can find some great programming courses in Christchurch.
Get Help with Studying Programming
You can also study programming with a private tutor. You don't need to be enrolled on a programming course to hire a private programming tutor and certain tutors can completely teach you about programming.
There are lots of different programming languages so you should talk to potential programming tutors about whether you should be learning Python, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, C++, Swift, SQL, etc.
Different programming languages are better suited to different applications so consider learning the programming language that works best for you and what you want to do with programming.
There are private programming tutors in Auckland, across New Zealand, and around the world for a range of levels and budgets.
Generally, you'll find that experience comes at a cost and the best and most highly-rated tutors charge the most. You can find more affordable tutors if you opt for less experienced tutors or students offering tutoring as a way to make some money during their studies.
Online tutors are also usually cheaper than face-to-face tutors as they don't have travel costs to concern themselves with.
For those on a really tight budget, group tutoring is a great option. You can split the cost of a tutor's time with your classmates or anyone else you know that also wants to study programming.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
