So you’re thinking about learning to code, but before you invest in a course or workshop, you need to understand what coding even means.
Most people hear the word code and think of a dark basement with blacked out windows and a person hunched over a keyboard, surrounded by a bunch of monitors. While this certainly is what coding looks like for some people, in most cases this is just a stereotype. TV shows and movies feature edgy hackers hunkered in seedy rooms illegally stealing information, or young tech cops typing furiously on the keyboard to find out a person’s background, their location and who they murdered all within five seconds. This is what most people picture when they hear the word coder but in reality - coding is so much more.
At Juno, teaching people to code is our priority, and making sure they have fun doing it is our goal. And we promise - there aren't any basements involved. In fact, HackerYou is in a bright, open space in the heart of Toronto. So now that we've exposed the stereotypes, let’s talk about what coding really is.
What is Coding?
Coding in general is the practice of writing instructions in a language that a computer can understand. There are many different coding languages available, depending on what you want the computer to do and for what purpose. Just like English, French, and Russian are languages people use to communicate all around the world, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are languages of the web.
When someone is writing code, they are writing it in a particular language, with the goal of creating a website or application that serves a certain purpose. There are simple websites that have been created with just HTML and CSS to serve basic purposes like showing off someone’s portfolio or sharing their personal blog. But, there are also complicated sites like Google or Amazon, that compile millions of different pieces of information, and use many more languages to create the functionality that such a powerful applications require.
At Juno, we focus on front-end coding languages in particular like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These are coding languages that allow a user to create websites that have meaning, are nice looking, and can perform certain functionality like searching, storing information, and returning results. If you think about a website like a house - it's easy to understand why each language is important.
To find out more about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - and to see which part of the house each one is - download our Coding 101 Package. Inside you'll learn about these foundational coding languages, plus what a coder does, why you should care, and how to create your own unique learning journey.
