Coding is more than an incredible hobby – it’s a skill that you can feel proud to learn. When mastered, coding can lead to career development opportunities in an array of fields. However, in addition to improving future job qualifications, coding also improves your personal development by helping you acquire necessary soft skills. Read on to learn 4 soft skills that are honed by coding.
Teamwork
You start developing many skills the moment you begin learning to code in a classroom environment. Working with instructors, asking questions, and taking feedback with a good attitude all require teamwork. Once you go into the workplace, you will no doubt be assigned projects that call for collaboration between other coders, outside departments, and even hired contractors.
One aspect of learning to code that’s attractive for many people is the potential to work from home, but even then, you will have to maintain contact with co-workers to ensure you’re all on the same page.
Creativity
The perception of programmers portrayed by the media is often a distorted one, usually a math wiz in a basement placed in front several monitors typing away robotically. Don’t get us wrong, there’s lots of math involved and double monitors rule but the creativity it takes to code really does go unnoticed. The reason your creativity expands when you learn to code is because you begin to possess the tools to build almost anything you want, whether you learn to build video games, virtual reality programs, robots or websites, the possibilities are endless.
Critical Thinking
Coding can involve an onslaught of information at once, especially if you’re just beginning your education. Over time, your ability to not only understand the information on the screen, but also develop solutions based off that data will improve. There are tons of resources out there for solving coding problems, but in the professional world, problems may arise that have no existing solutions. Analyzing lines of code to locate the exact location of an error, or piece that can be modified for a specific action takes critical thinking skills that can be honed over time.
You will get to a point where you can solve problems quickly, but this will take time and something else…
Patience
Learning to code is like learning to play an instrument, except where you’d drive yourself crazy trying to extend your pinky to the 7th fret, you’ll instead be tempted to smash your keyboard while attempting to change a color or font size on the screen. Coding can be frustrating at first and takes practice to understand fully – and with technology and programming languages constantly evolving, you’ll truly never fully perfect it. But, you can have the patience to learn new things, no matter how challenging they are.
The road to coding mastery is one filled with ups and downs, but the rewards that come with it will soon show on your screen and within yourself.
Ready to be part of the movement to get kids coding? From computer science majors at top universities to industry veterans at companies like Netflix or Apple, we’re always on the lookout for great coders to coach our students. Are you looking for an amazing, rewarding experience? Do you have some coding chops? Then maybe you have a Code Coach® inside you. Check out our 
Our Tech Talks aren’t directly related to heads down coding but instead focus on higher level topics like how the internet works, Internet Safety (required for all our students), or just understanding technology at a high level. From quantum computing to map directions, students can be exposed to these technologies, learning how they shape our lives. Tech Talks are less about the detailed coding, and more about understanding high-level concepts.
From robots to mini-computers, having a physical, tangible product is bound to engage kids at all levels. With platforms like 
Algorithms form the basis of all coding, and in a nutshell are basically the logical processes that a computer follows to perform a task. Basic algorithms are everywhere, starting with our students’ first program that repeats a loop 10 times. More complex algorithms are like logic puzzles, and can be tough for even the most seasoned coders. While algorithms are in all projects we create, we may also use algorithm-specific tools like 
Can you believe the first iPhone was released by Steve Jobs in 2007? A few short years later, almost everyone has a smartphone. Our Mobile Branch teaches kids how to create and design apps and websites for the phone. Technologies used may include 
Artificial Intelligence is all the rage these days. The technology behind
While we’ve never believed that static curriculums are a good way to learn computer science, some folks just need straight tutoring help for their AP Comp Sci course. Usually reserved for high school students taking (or soon taking) AP Comp Sci, our AP Tutor branch consists of tutoring our students straight down the line with the standard AP Comp Sci curriculum, typically in Java. Our AP Tutor branch is best taught in our private 1:1 Code Coaching® program.
As many professional coders know, data is what runs the world these days. From Google to Wikipedia, from maps to shopping, it’s the data underneath that supports all this technology. Programming in data manipulation is just like it sounds – lots of numbers! Because of that, this branch tends to target more advanced kids who aren’t afraid of a lot of math, numbers, and algorithmic coding. We may teach data in any language from Python to Scratch, and for more advanced kids, we may move into SQL databases.
Ever wonder how they make those 3D platform games? Well, it ain’t easy! Our 3D Games Branch will expose kids to the basics of programming in 3D with platforms like 
Games are for everyone! Whether we’re talking battle games, social games, or platform games, our Code Coaches® can help students create something fun and playable. Gaming+ covers a wide range of skill levels, from easy games in Scratch to harder games using platforms like 
Everything runs on the web these days, so website development has become a crucial (and useful) skill. Our students use Javascript, HTML, and CSS to create their own webpages, which can be hosted on our servers. While our more novice students begin with straight forward web pages, our advanced Web Dev students might make dynamic websites, using databases or server-side components like PHP or node.js. Our platform of choice depends on our staff, but might range from simple tools like 
Like any skill, coding requires a strong foundation. The roots of our Coder Tree® provide the core logic and fundamental coding skills upon which all coding is built. While much of our Foundation is taught by creating projects in