If you’re anxious about your child’s future, your feelings are totally understandable. All we hear about these days are the declining prospects for young people due to the pandemic. However, the tech sector is booming due to the rising demand for digital working. This means that there’s more reason than ever for your kids to know how to code.
Coding is simply the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to. It is a basic skill for a huge amount of highly paid jobs such as engineering, data science and web development.
Learning an in-demand programming language and exploring how to code is the best way for your kids to develop the skills for a pandemic-proof career. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “employment of web developers [for example] is projected to grow 13% from 2018 to 2028, which is much faster than the average for all occupations”.
In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why learning to code is so important for your kids in a post-Covid world. We’ll also look at the top ways that your kids can develop this vital skill.
Why is computer coding important for your kids in a post-Covid world?
Computer coding is important for your kids in a post-Covid world, because there is a high demand for employees with coding skills in lucrative sectors, and coding will prepare your child for jobs that don’t even exist yet.
Computer coding is also important in a post-Covid world, because coding skills are key to helping industries recover from Covid-19.
Coding is where the money is
While other industries are collapsing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tech industry is increasingly where the jobs are. Adverts for jobs in the technology and digital sectors have increased by 36% since 2024, according to Tech Nation. In the US, the median wage for tech jobs is almost double the median wage of the entire US labour force.
94% of tech employers believe there is an industry-wide skills shortage, with many jobs unfilled. However, this is likely to change as more and more people lose their jobs due to Covid-19, and rapidly upskill to digital sectors. This is why coding is such a vital skill for your kids to learn now, so that they have a competitive edge over the technology jobs market.
What are the best ways for your kids to learn to code?
While there are plenty of YouTube videos and resources for coding online, one of the best ways for your kids to learn how to code is to attend a course with proper teachers.
Summer schools like Oxford Royale Academy (ORA) offer excellent courses in computer coding and web development. ORA’s iOS & Web Development course gives your child the skills to build their own iOS app from the ground up. They will master the basics of Swift programming and the Xcode environment. They will produce a fully functioning iOS app and discover how to publish it on the App store. They will learn to use Sketch for designing app interfaces, and get to grips with the full application development life cycle.
Coding Summer School by Think Young young is also a great way for your kids to learn how to code. The programme runs every year for primary and secondary school students. Coding Summer School takes place in countries around the world, from Kenya to Brussels. Your child will learn the whole process of building their own website or mobile app, how to troubleshoot problems with may arise, and how to implement solutions.
Coding is key to helping industries recover from Covid-19
Your kids need to know how to code for a post-pandemic world, because jobs which require coding are key to helping industries recover from Covid-19. Whether or not your child ends up working in the tech industry itself, jobs which require digital savvy and programming skills will be in huge demand across every sector.
In a time of mass unemployment due to Covid-19, coding is the skill of the future. Companies across all sectors rely on computers for every aspect of their work, whether remotely or in-person, and the demand for skilled computer experts is higher than ever.
According to key research by Global Data, 39% of executives expect revenues to increase in 2024, and technology is core to companies’ response to Covid-19. Jobs which all require computer coding, such as cybersecurity, automation and cloud computing are high in the list of emerging technologies that executives will be using to help them recover financially. This is why it’s so important for your children to know how to code. Companies will be looking for employees who can help accelerate their growth after financial hits, and digital skills are going to achieve this.
Coding prepares your child for the jobs of the future
In the future your child could be a self-driving car mechanic, a coding ethicist or a 3D-printed chef programmer. Coding will prepare your child for a world we can’t currently imagine, but which will exist soon enough. Every crisis accelerates the coming of a new world and new opportunities. According to research by Microsoft, the lockdown is increasing digitisation, and will create 149 million jobs by 2025. Many of these jobs don’t exist yet.
People who know how to code robots will be hugely in demand in the future. Sectors, from social care to education, are relying more and more on robotics to cope with industry demands. Quantum computing is becoming increasingly prevalent, and will require engineers who can build code for quantum machines.
Let’s look at just a few of the coding jobs of the future.
1. Quantum Computing Software Developer
With the quantum computing market expected to grow from USD 93 million in 2019, to US 238 million by 2024, a knowledge of how to code quantum computers will be hugely in demand. QISkit, the programming language for quantum computers, is significantly more powerful than any existing coding language. If Quantum Computers are the future, the skills to write programmes in QC will be incalculable.
2. Autonomous Vehicle Mechanic
Self-driving cars and planes are dominating the headlines at the moment, and will soon become our ordinary way of life. The autonomous vehicle industry requires key engineering and coding skills to help it continue to grow and maintain itself.
To work on a self-driving car, for example, you’ll need excellent coding skills. There are 250 million lines of code which make up an autonomous vehicle. These help it understand the world and what is around it, avoid obstacles and figure out which way to go. You’ll need to have a complete understanding of this software system.
In an autonomous vehicle, its different programmes all work together so that it can get its passengers safely around. Therefore to work with autonomous cars, you’ll need flawless and thorough knowledge of coding languages such as C++ and Python, as well as Linux.
3. AI Programmer
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation will become an increasing element of the workforce. Therefore, the ability to design and code machines that imitate human intelligence and consciousness will be a huge plus.
There will be a bigger demand than ever for experts who can code the systems to mimic human intelligence. While there is fear that automation may take over low level code, the presence of AI in the tech industry always requires a human being to code and create those AI systems.
It is important for your child to learn to code now, so that in adulthood they are better versed to learn many coding languages, and adapt to new ones. This will give them a higher chance at getting the best coding and programming jobs.
Now that we’ve looked at the core reasons why Computer Coding will be important for your kids in a post-Covid world, I hope you’ve been encouraged by the opportunities it offers. Remember that what anxiety hates most is action. So, let’s be brave and help our kids reap the rewards of a digital future, by letting them learn how to code.
Kim Marks 
Nicola Holder