Are you thinking about learning to code? Have you always been interested in programming or is it something that you've just started thinking about?
In this article, we'll look at the pros and cons of studying programming and where you can study it in Wellington.
Reasons to Study Programming
There are plenty of reasons to study programming and far too many for us to name all of them here, but these are the ones that we think are the most important and most convincing.
Constant Learning
If you love learning, programming is the right career choice for you. When you enrol on a programming course or decide to study programming, you're committing to a life of learning.
Technology is always advancing and when you're the person programming said technology, you have to keep up whether it's through self-study, coding classes, or vocational training.
Fortunately for you, there are lots of great programming courses all over New Zealand!
Creativity
While certain parts of programming are repetitive and dull (more on that later), there are also plenty of opportunities to be creative.
Contrary to popular belief, programming involves a lot of creative thinking as you need to come up with creative solutions to problems before you even start writing code.
Once you start coding, you'll often need to be more creative to come up with solutions that make sense to people and machines.
Lucrative Careers
This is probably what makes programming courses so popular. After all, whenever you study something for your career, you need to make sure that there'll be career options once you've finished studying.
Not only are there lots of jobs out there for programmers across various industries, but a lot of these jobs are also fairly well-paid, especially relative to their education, i.e. programmers with undergraduate degrees tend to earn more than the average graduates across all subjects.
Problem-solving Skills
Programming is a great way to develop and use your problem-solving skills. Programming requires creative solutions and the ability to break down problems and find workable solutions to them.
What makes problem-solving through programming particularly interesting is the abstract nature of programming problems and how solutions have to be made at a conceptual level and then written in code so that computers can act out the solutions.
Remote Work Opportunities
There are career opportunities in lots of different industries for programmers and a lot of programming jobs can be done from anywhere provided you have a computer and a decent internet connection.
If you want to work from home or anywhere in the world, studying programming could be a great idea.
Versatility
Programmers learn a variety of useful skills that can be used in plenty of different situations and careers. The transferable skills like critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and working in teams can be applied to lots of other roles outside of programming.
They are hugely valuable skills within programming careers, too, of course!
The Downsides to Studying Programming
After having read the advantages of programming, you wouldn't be blamed for wanting to start looking immediately for programming courses.
However, it would help if you considered the downsides to programming before fully committing to a career in it.
Burnout
The nature of programming means that it can very quickly lead to burnout. While programming, computer science, and software engineering aren't the only industries that suffer burnout, there is sadly a trend of burnout amongst programmers.
Difficulty
Programming might teach you lots of skills, but it isn't always easy. It takes a lot of study just to get started and you need to constantly study just to stay abreast of all the developments in technology.
Frustration
If you're going to become a programmer, you'll need to get familiar with a feeling of frustration. Difficulty and repetitiveness can make programming incredibly frustrating and that's before you're faced with a bunch of code that doesn't work.
Once something stops working, correcting code and debugging can be insanely frustrating. You need to be incredibly patient to be good at programming.
Isolation
Programmers often get to work in teams and collaborate on projects, but there are also long moments, especially when writing code or debugging, where programmers need to work on their own. It can get lonely spending hours chained to your desk while coding and it's something that every programmer will have to deal with.
Sedentarism
Programming isn't conducive to an active or healthy lifestyle and the nature of the work means that you'll be sitting at a computer for long periods. As a programmer, it's incredibly important that you make a concerted effort to live the healthiest lifestyle possible outside of your work.
Working Conditions
The working conditions for programmers are often criticised. Programming is already not a great career choice for your physical or mental health and there are lots of employers who impose strict deadlines that force programmers to work for long hours in unhealthy conditions.
The Best Places to Study Programming in Wellington
Now that you have a better idea of the pros and cons of becoming a programmer and provided that you've decided that programming is still worth studying, here are some of the best places in Wellington you can study.
Victoria University of Wellington
At the Victoria University of Wellington, you can study programming as part of Software Engineering and Computer Science Courses.
There are undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Computer Science and Software Engineering and postgraduate options in Software Development.
These courses offer students a way to learn more about programming at both a practical and theoretical level, allowing them to understand how and why software solutions are made.
There are also options for students to specialise in areas such as networked applications, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity.
If you'd rather study on the other side of the North Island, there are also plenty of great programming courses in Auckland.
WelTec (Wellington Institute of Technology)
The Wellington Institute of Technology offers Computing and IT courses at varying levels.
You can study certificates and diplomas in Information Technology Essentials, Information Technology Technical Support, and Information Systems.
The only undergraduate option at WelTec is the Bachelor of Information Technology, but there are lots of postgraduate options including graduate certificates and diplomas in Cybersecurity and Information Technology as well as a Master of Information Technology course.
There are also great programming courses in Hamilton if none of these take your fancy.
Studying Programming Online
The great thing about programming is that it's something you can study from anywhere provided that you have a computer and an internet connection.
So many people are choosing to study programming from the comfort of their own homes and these are some of the most popular options for online study.
Online coding courses allow you to learn on your own time without having to attend a school or university. You can follow along with the classes on your computer as they're either prerecorded videos or guides that you can read at your own pace.
These courses are usually measured in hours rather than years and you can enrol on some courses for free while you'll have to pay for others or your certificate upon completion of the course.
Some courses online will have start dates and others can be started whenever you're available to do them. You'll find online coding classes offer far more flexibility than learning on a course in a school or university.
Codecademy
Codecademy is an online learning platform that offers lots of free programming classes in programming languages like Python, Java, Go, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, Swift, HTML, and CSS.
This is a great option for seeing whether programming is right for you and whether further study would be worth paying for.
Coursera
Coursera is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) provider with lots of free programming courses from universities and tech companies.
Generally, Coursera courses are free, but you can pay if you'd like a certificate or qualification at the end of certain courses.
Some of these certificates are more valuable than others so in some cases, it's better to do the free course to develop the skills being taught rather than having the qualification they let you pay for.
edX
edX is another MOOC provider and much like Coursera, there are courses offered by universities and companies.
There are courses offered by some of the most prestigious universities in the world like MIT, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge and tech giants like Google, AWS, and IBM.
There are plenty of programming courses and boot camps to choose from and there are many free courses with the option to pay for an upgrade if you wish.
You might want to check out the best programming courses in Christchurch, too.
Study Programming with a Private Tutor
You can learn programming directly from a private tutor or you can complement other courses with outside tuition.
There are plenty of programming tutors in Wellington, across New Zealand, and around the world so no matter what aspect of programming you need help with, you can find someone.
The great thing about private tutors is that they can teach you whatever you want. If they're helping you with coding at school or university, however, then they'll have to focus on what's on the course of the syllabus, but they will have far more freedom in terms of what goes into the classes and the kinds of activities you'll do.
There are tutors for all budgets and levels and while the most experienced tutors will charge a higher price for their services, there are also ways to make tutoring more affordable if you're on a budget.
Online tutoring is usually cheaper than face-to-face tutoring since they don't have to travel to their students and they can schedule more sessions every week.
Group tutoring is also a way to stretch your budget. While you won't get to enjoy all the benefits of one-on-one tutoring, if you and some friends, family members, or classmates would like help with programming, you can split the cost of a private tutor's time.
Many tutors offer the first session for free so you can try out a few options before deciding which one is best for you.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
