The "Learn to Code" Advice Is Outdated. Here's What Actually Matters Now
By Venkata Anirudh Devireddy · Endoblog.dev
For over a decade, people who wanted to get into the tech industry were told the best way to do so was to learn to code. This was sound advice back then when coding was the bottleneck in creating software. However, that bottleneck is gone, and thus, the advice has become outdated.
Writing syntax was never the hard part
The memorization of syntax is the easiest part of coding. Today, AI tools do this very well. Prompting an AI model to write a function that does a specific task will yield the correct answer most of the time. Therefore, the ability to type out code quickly is less important than before.
What's actually scarce now
Knowing what to build and why is scarce. Knowing if what gets generated is actually correct is scarce. Knowing where a system is going to break down is scarce. None of these are learned by knowing the syntax faster than anyone else.
Fundamentals still matter, just differently
You still need to know data structures, algorithms, and how systems fit together. Not for implementing them yourself, but for recognizing when the implementations that get auto-generated are inefficient or incorrect. You can't evaluate what gets given to you by AI if you don't have that foundational understanding.
The skill that's actually growing in value
Precise thinking. Not fast typing. This is a skill that applies to engineering and communication problems, not typing problems. It's difficult to develop, but it's a skill that can be learned.
What to actually do with this
Learn more about the fundamentals, but avoid focusing on typing and syntax. Focus instead on system design and engineering concepts, and learn to read other people's code. This is the true "learn to code" that matters.
