"What is Code?"
Recently, the number of cell phones on the planet exceeded the number of humans, penetrating markets that include even the world's least materially-wealthy demographics. Half of the globe's adults own an Internet-enabled smartphone and, by the end of the decade, that figure is forecast to increase to four out of every five. Underlying all of this ubiquitous digital realm's functionality is computer code.
In modern business, where digital elements pervade all aspects of a firm's operations -- from client acquisition and communication to commercial transactions and data-driven decision-making -- technological literacy has for years been essential, but a rudimentary understanding of the underlying computational processes -- the code -- is becoming essential as well. But, where should one get started? There are dozens of popular programming languages, with use varying widely depending on the application, and upon first glance, any code may appear cryptic or esoteric.
In actuality, learning to understand the fundamentals of computer science need not be complex. Code consists simply of formalised applications of logic, and as a species we generally find logical reasoning straightforward. Conveniently, on top of that, the vast majority of contemporary programming languages are free to use ("open source") and documented thoroughly online, from initial learning all the way through to the advanced, problem-specific issues that professional developers encounter many times each hour.
The best single resource for getting one's feet wet in software is an epic piece published in June, titled "What is Code?". In his interactive, cleverly-illustrated and remarkably broad article, Paul Ford covers the history of software, the current programmer culture, as well as all of the major players and languages. It may require setting aside your free time for a day or weekend to make it through the document, but dedicating those hours to this article will be well worth the indispensable primary understanding of how all modern digital devices and commercial processes function. If that long-term gain doesn't get your dopamine system firing, then perhaps knowing that you too could be the proud owner of one of these sweet certificates will:
If you already feel well-versed in code in general but are looking for resources to hit the ground running in data science specifically, I provide an introduction to the field here and maintain a list of key skills on my website here. Enjoy!