You should learn how to code

Two reasons: firstly,knowing how to code opens up possibilities from business ideas in your mind.It helps you notice problems in day-to-day life that can be solved by technology. And secondly, knowing how to code helps you execute your ideas much, much faster than everyone else. Let’s explore these in a bit more detail.

Knowing code helps you notice business ideas

Explain with real life example

Knowing code helps you execute your ideas

Another personal life experience to demonstrate

How to learn how to code

Okay, so you’re sold on the idea of learning how to code. You might even have dabbled with it a few times in the past, but never really go past the initial stages.

Coding can often seem like a black box to those entering the field for the first time. There are so many languages, frameworks, platforms - how do you know where to begin?

Here’s my suggestion - start with web development and completely ignore “app development”(ie: iOS and Android) for the time being.

Having done this, you will now know how to “talk” to a database, and once you can write code that talks to a database, you can spin up practically any app or website you can think of.

How hard is it to learn to code?

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I still go back to this simple concept of databases whenever i think of a new project. For example, when i first had the idea for an online BMAT question bank (BMAT Ninja), I came up with the database structure within a few minutes:
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And let’s say further down the line, you’re a working professional and you have an idea for a simple app based on a database that would save you and your colleagues time in your working lives. If you know the basics of doing, your an form the structure of the app in your head, and then find someone else to actually design/code the app for you - websites like Upwork.com are great for finding resonantly-priced freelance developers who can do precisely that.

So is coding hard? Yes. But is learning the basics of code particularly hard? Not really - with the wealth of incredible online courses available today, all you need is an inquisitive mind and the desire to work through the exercises to gain basic proficiency in a reasonable timeframe.

Concluding Remarks

If you’re in that position then you should definitely learn how to code. I’ve got a medical student friend who started a $10 course on Udemy 3 weeks ago. He’s been enjoying working through the exercises, and with just a few hours in the evenings each week, he’s already taught himself HTML and CSS and is working through JavaScript. He’s already made stuff like an online to-do list and a web-based game. And is looking forward to applying his newfound skills to problems he encounters within the medical field, with the long-term plan of hopefully spinning these solutions off into a startup of his own.