The Open World of Programming and Why it is Important

Code is the basic building block of all computers which is often referred to as "1's and 0's". Programming is about shaping a lot of code to make something unique. While programming may seem intimidating at first it is easier than most would expect. Thanks to the work of others, modern programmers don't have to use the "1's and 0's" and can instead use programming languages such as C++, Java, Python, etc.

Code is at the center of all computers and because computers are becoming more and more used by everyone throughout the world it is good to learn programming.

This video by code.org will shed some clearer light on the subject:

Now that we know what programming is we can start to figure out what we can actually do with it. One of the first things that comes to mind is video games.

Video games are a major part of the programming industry. Video games are all about helping people have fun with computers. Now imagine being able to make any kind of video game you want. Imagine putting anything you want into that video game such as easter eggs or jokes for yourself. Imagine being able to distribute your game to people all over the world and affect all of those who play it whether its in a negative or positive way. Video games of course are only one use of programming.

Lets take it one step further. Programming your own robot to help you around the house or programming your car to drive for you so that you can focus on other things while you are on your way to work or even programing a robot to help the marines by carrying their weighted equipment are all extremely beneficial! Robots are another industry in which programming is involved. Imagine being the person to create a sentient artificial intelligence which thinks for itself and can act just like a normal human being!

When it comes to programming, you are only limited by your imagination. So make something great!

As exerted earlier, there are programming languages in which programmers use. While it technically will not matter which language you use some are more popular than others. When a language is more popular then there is more support and libraries which will make is easier for you to learn and make whatever you want.

For website development the most popular languages(in order) are:

When it comes to making video games, it depends on what kind of a game you are trying to make. If you want to make a flash game you would learn ActionScript, if you wanted to make an ios app you would learn Swift, and if you wanted to make a pc game you would use C++ or C#. Alternatively you could use applications such as Unity to make your games. Unity provides easy to learn tutorials and powerful features to successfully make your game.

After you find what you want to language you are supposed to learn I would recommend that you visit Codecademy and check if your language is in there and then follow their amazing tutorials. Otherwise, youtube has a lot of great tutorials on every language and some will even walk you through writing a complete program. If codecademy and youtube are not working for you because you need something tangible to read from, there are several great books for each language. While you are learning remember to not only look or read what youtube videos or books are telling you, but also practice what you are learning about. Without the practice you'll learn a lot slower and it will not be as exciting for you.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012, the average salary for an application software developer was $93,000. This is for a full time employee though, if you are working part time or even as just a hobby then it is hard to say. Selling your own game or software independently may or may not pay a lot. So if you are happy with your current job and enjoy programming then I'd recommend that you stay independent or team up with a few other people to make whatever it is that you want.