The world is currently witnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4) which is powered by digital technology. This technological advancement has changed the structure, nature, and dynamics of employment, communication, manufacturing and production, and learning. In this regard, digital skills such as coding have become imperative for any business and individual’s success. But to what extent is this concept an important consideration in the modern and future world? While it has been argued that this conceptualization is not crucial, evidence suggests otherwise. Coding is critical because it has revolutionized the job market, business operations, and learning. For instance, as big data and cloud computing take over business practices, the need for cyber-security professionals has been on the rise. These professionals work with coding languages such as JavaScript to work with cookies and cross-site scripting to reinforce system security. This paper supports the argument that coding is essential for any entity’s success in the current and future world.
Coding has become a required skill in the current job market. The manufacturing, communication, education, and creative industries have undergone technological revolutions. Studies also reveal the significant workforce modification in the future due to the adoption of the IR4 systems (“The future of jobs,” 2016). The forum further indicates that approximately 2.6 million jobs were displaced by technology between 2007 and 2018 following its adoption (“The future of jobs report,”2020). Hi-tech designing and programming jobs have been replacing occupations such as payroll clerks and factory workers. In the survey conducted by the World Forum, about 91% of the employers involved in the study revealed the need for new staff with relevant technical proficiencies, and 51% reported the regular hiring of freelancers with digital skills (“The future of jobs report,” 2020). Participants also identified programming as the main focus of reskilling initiatives (“The future of jobs report,” 2020). Furthermore, computer programming was identified as the second most important competency (“The future of jobs report,” 2020). From this analysis, it can be surmised that coding adroitness is a crucial technical aptitude in the current business environment.
Proficiencies such as problem-solving and creativity have been identified as the major skills which will be essential in the future. The World Economic Forum showed that competencies such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity, coordination, and decision-making will be the core expertise required by employers in the coming years (“The future of jobs report,” 2020). It has been postulated that coding enhances logical thinking, analytical and problem-solving proficiencies, as well as creativity (Stenger, 2017). Coding involves taking a sequence of steps to obtain the desired goal. This approach is similar to the strategies used in problem-solving and analytical or critical thinking competencies. Because this conceptualization entails the use of mathematical calculations, students can apply the same concepts to real-life problems. A study conducted by Isroqmi, Marga and Nopriyanti (2019) showed that teaching coding enhanced the students’ logical thinking and problem-solving expertise. At the end of the study, the participants demonstrated the ability to make logical arguments and develop rational steps in resolving issues. Therefore, coding is important because it helps nurture the proficiencies deemed essential in the job market.
Coding is and will remain a major driving force of business operations. The manufacturing sector, which accounts for approximately 6% of the global GDP and 25% of the workforce worldwide, has been significantly influenced by technology (Leurent & Shook, 2019). Artificial intelligence (AI) concepts are currently used in marketing, sales, communication, data-collection, virtual assistant services, and self-driving cars. In the biological domain, coding architects integrate synthetic biology and computational components to initiate the interdependent relationship between microorganisms and humans (Schwab, 2016). According to the World Economic Forum (2020), 62% of agricultural companies, 76% of automotive companies, 76% of educational institutions, and 65% of governments will integrate AI systems in their day-to-day business activities by 2025. C++, Lisp, Prolog, Java, and Python are the major coding languages used in developing and designing these technological systems. Therefore, coding will play a major role in spearheading business operations and the anticipated technological revolutions.
The concept of teaching coding in educational institutions has triggered an unprecedented interest worldwide, with research revealing its social and educational importance among students. Besides creating a pool of proficient programmers to address the job market’s needs, literacy in coding conceptualizations enables children to utilize digital technologies to enhance their creativity. Stenger (2017) further underscores the significance of this conception in helping individuals in a technology-driven society advance from the “consumer” role to that of a “developer.” Furthermore, coding fosters one’s capacity to develop algorithmic thinking, which, in turn, enhances their capacity to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate the effect of these forms of perception in their lives. Stenger (2017) associates this concept with high academic morale, increased problem-solving skills, the acquisition of computation proficiency, increased autonomy, increased teamwork, high creativity, and resilience. Learning various coding conceptions is, therefore, essential in helping learners to better comprehend one element of the digital society.
However, critics argue that coding is not an important consideration in the modern world despite its tremendous advantages. According to the survey by the World Economic Forum, soft competencies such as persuasion, teaching, and emotional intelligence will surpass technical expertise such as programming in the coming years (“The future of jobs,” 2016). The survey showed that 19% of jobs in the future will require social proficiencies compared to 12% of jobs which will demand coding or programming adroitness (“The future of jobs,” 2016). These findings were consistent with another systematic review conducted by Kamaruzaman, Roszilah, Mutalib, and Rasul (2019), which revealed the superiority of soft skills over technical proficiency in ascertaining a student’s success in the future. However, despite the projections regarding the predominance of social and soft adroitness, technical expertise, particularly coding, is still among the top ten competencies for prospective jobs. The significance of one skill does not take away the importance of the other.
In summary, the analysis provided above shows that coding is important in contemporary society and that its usefulness will be crucial in the future job market. Various sectors in the modern-day world are adopting technology. The manufacturing, communication, education, transportation, and the creative industries have all undergone technological revolution. Coders, therefore, represent the architects and drivers of this digital community. They write and translate the codes from one computer language to another to build executable programs which can drive business operations within these industries. Since the relevancy of this technology is expected to be sustained in the future, the current and emerging workforce must acquire the skills which will enhance their capacity to blend with the prospective economic and organizational needs. Therefore, coding is imperative for the success of any entity, now and then.
References
Isroqmi, A., Retta, A. M., & Nopriyanti, T. (2019). Analysis of students’ logical thinking skills in computer programming learning. Open Journal Systems, 3(1), 485–493.
Kamaruzaman, M., Roszilah, H., Mutalib, A., & Rasul, M. (2019). Comparison of engineering skills with IR 4.0 skills. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering, 15(10), 15-28. Web.
Leurent, H., & Shook, E. (2019). Leading through the Fourth Industrial Revolution Putting People at the Centre. Web.
Schwab, K. (2015). The new key to economic growth is unlocking latent talent. The Globe and Mail. Web.
Stenger, M. (2017).Coding in education: Why it’s important & how it’s being implemented. Web.
The future of jobs report (2020). World Economic Forum. Web.
The future of jobs: Employment, skills and workforce strategy for the fourth industrial revolution (2016). World Economic Forum. Web.