Coding isn’t hard.
Teachers, engineers, academics, and children alike can agree: problem solving is hard. Taking a complex problem and breaking it down into simple actionable steps is the process that requires intellectual rigor. Coding is just using this process to produce actionable steps that a computer can understand.
This is enormously advantageous because computer is really good at doing one thing: what you tell it to.
Programmers are not geniuses or wizards. They’re practical people who use computers to build value. They aren’t just typing away at the weird field called software, they’re solving problems. If you can do math, produce art, or create music, you already know how to produce value and solve problems. Coding just let’s you automate the redundant stuff.
So why is it so hard to learn?
Because it’s scary.
Think about the first time you looked at a wall of code. You probably wanted to puke on it, I know I sure did. It’s like learning trigonometry in high school.
But it doesn’t have to be. Code was designed by humans for humans. It was structured entirely to fit the natural process with which your brain works and help you solve problems.
The important part is understanding why it’s important and thinking about how you can produce value with it. It’s more of a creative pursuit than a mission that requires technical proficiency or deep expertise.
Like trigonometry, the hard part is contextualizing its value, internalizing why it’s important, and using it to create something useful for someone else.