Learn to code they said. Everyone needs to learn how to code these days. If you want to lead any organisation you need to learn how “technology” works. Well, where do you start?

The first place to start is the writing your first line of code and to do that you need a computer programming language. There are loads but the simplest to learn the basics and much more is python. With python installed on your local machine we can create a file using a simple note called helloworld and save as .py (helloworld.py) file. With a python file and python installed we can run this. In a terminal window type python3 helloworld.py and the terminal window will display the text “Hello World”. So what? Well, this proves that you can write and python can execute a python script. That’s a start at least.

This doesn’t prove much apart you can follow instructions and draw you in to the idea that you are now a coder. This is the equivalent of scoring a piece of wood with a saw and then starting to become a carpenter. But every journey starts with a single step. The thing that you really need to understand is why you need to learn to code. Do you know how your electricity works, if you have a car do you know how it works? Maybe, maybe not. So why do you need to learn how to code?

Why should I learn/know about computer code?

The answer is – computers are creating the new world. Computers and computer networks are creating new products and services that are created from code. Not knowing some of the basics of computing and it’s network will mean you will lack crucial knowledge of how this world works. Once you understand a reason to understand the computer world the easier it is to start to learn, a little by little, how it works and from there how to make decisions in it. In this guide I aim to take you through the computer world and how you can get insight from it.