What is Programming?

Computer programming is a process that involves writing code that’s intended to perform a specific action on a software program, application, or computer. This code provides instructions on how the device should perform. A programmer’s job is to write these instructions, which involves creating and testing code the software program, app, or computer will use to operate successfully. In 1843, Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace created the first programming language. In the time since, nearly 9,000 programming languages have been created. In this overview, you’ll learn more about what programming is, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it to determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with Programming?

Computer programming is a versatile skill with various uses across industries and professions. Because we rely so much on computers for daily tasks, those who know how to program have many job opportunities. 

The following are a few items you can do with a background in programming:

• Programmers who know languages such as JavaScript, CSS, or HTML can design interactive websites for clients.
• Individuals with advanced programming skills are needed to create computer games, a popular form of entertainment for many. 
• Mobile apps are more popular than ever as cell phones become more widely used for everyday tasks like banking and navigating. Those who know how to program can create mobile apps to simplify these tasks.
• Repetitive work tasks can take many hours of tedious work to complete. However, with the help of automation, they can be instructed to work independently to complete said tasks. Programming skills make it possible to automate tasks like posting on social media, controlling the thermostat at home, or sending emails.
• Programming with R or Python allows users to incorporate advanced statistical analysis into analytical or research tasks. 
• With programming, it is possible to build or maintain large databases. Programmers use languages such as SQL or PHP to use and maintain extensive databases.
• Those who work in the field of data science rely on programming to perform tasks such as developing models that can make predictions based on data insights.

How Do You Download Programming Languages? How Much Does it Cost?

If you’re new to programming, you may wonder how to download different languages. Those who wish to work with a specific programming language don’t download or install it by itself; instead, they down the assembler, interpreter, or compiler. Most popular programming languages are available for free.

Programming languages are formal languages. They generally are built on formal grammar that defines the language’s syntax. In some instances, the grammar isn’t explicitly recorded and may only exist in the reference implementation of a parser for the language’s compiler or interpreter. The other component of a programming language is the language’s semantic definition. Thus, a programming language comprises a description of its grammar (syntax) and the program's meaning (its semantics). Therefore, when people refer to downloading a programming language such as Python, they generally don’t mean they downloaded the actual language; instead, they’ve downloaded an interpreter that can run the language. 

All coding languages use a code editor, Visual Studio Code. Microsoft created this free source-code editor on macOS, Linux, and Windows. It provides syntax highlighting, debugging support, code refactoring, intelligent code completion, version control, and embedded Git. This streamlined code editor is equipped with various tools developers can use to perform code debugging speedily. One of the benefits of Visual Studio Code is its ability to support most programming languages. This open-source product can be used with C, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Go, among others.

What Are the Benefits of Learning Programming?

Computer programming is one of the most sought-after skill sets in this technological age. Because the tech boom isn’t expected to slow in the coming years, those with programming skills have many job prospects with high pay. The median pay for Programmers in 2021 was $93,000. Programming is valuable because of how much of the world is automated online. Those with coding skills have the power to improve how businesses run, which is of value to many employers. 

Another reason to learn programming is that the profession has many perks beyond the high pay. Not only are programming jobs available in various fields and professions, but many provide enticing work benefits, such as unlimited vacation time, flex hours, and work-from-home options. In addition, programming is a skill that allows you to explore your creativity through a technical channel. This profession involves much more than giving machines instructions; it involves problem-solving, abstract thinking, and creativity. Even though programming may seem a rigid, tedious process, those skilled at writing code find creative solutions to real-world problems that address the larger picture. They create code from scratch, using the organization’s goals to inform their work. This process involves experimenting with different codes to find the most efficient, appropriate solution. 

You may also want to learn programming because it’s a skill that can lead to much greater workplace efficiency. Programmers create applications that can automate regular processes that would otherwise take many hours. In addition, they create websites or apps that reach a much wider audience of interested customers. This scalability has the potential to improve an organization’s reach much more than advertisements, or physical stores would be able to accomplish.

Read more about why you should learn programming.

Programming Careers

Programming skills are currently in demand in professions and industries across the globe. With this demand comes high pay rates for qualified Computer Programmers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay for a Computer Programmer in 2021 was $93,000 a year. Programming skills are an asset to a variety of professions. The following is a list of some of the most popular programming jobs available:

• There’s a growing need for AI Engineers in all fields since this is one of the fastest-growing areas for tech professionals such as Programmers. These individuals use machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence tools and skills.
• The healthcare industry benefits from those with a background in data science and computer programming. Individuals who bring analytical skills to the job can create IT systems that can leverage and learn from various data resources in healthcare. In addition, as the healthcare field begins to learn from its data, Programmers are expected to play a vital role in helping providers become more efficient and ultimately achieve improved patient outcomes.
• Programmers are highly valued in financial service careers. Because of how widely used mobile banking and other technologies are, the financial service industry continues to expand rapidly to keep up with new applications and features.
• The computer security industry relies heavily on Programmers to help improve the security of the range of internet-of-things devices being created. Many companies who manufacture these devices aren’t aware that these products are migrating to the internet even though necessary security considerations haven’t occurred. Programmers play an essential role in securing these devices.
• Although it’s not commonly associated with programming, the education sector also benefits significantly from those with a mastery of programming languages. It’s essential for education to stay on pace with innovation. Therefore, there’s a high demand for creative, scalable, engaging educational programs, such as online bookkeeping services and digital reading programs.

In addition to typical applications of programming, many traditional industries, such as agriculture and oil, require qualified programmers to create software. If you’re currently on the hunt for a job, programming skills are an excellent way to find work in nearly any industry around the globe.

How to Learn Programming

If you want to learn more about computer programming, excellent study options are available from Noble Desktop and other top educational providers. In-person programming courses provide hands-on training from instructors who have industry experience working with programming languages. These interactive courses are perfect for extroverted learners who thrive in the classroom setting. Another benefit of the in-person study is that it provides a computer lab with the most up-to-date software and tools.

In addition to in-person study options, more than 400 live online programming classes are available. Like in-person study, live online coursework allows students to connect with an instructor in real-time who’s available to answer questions, provide support, and help with complex programming concepts. This learning format also allows students to complete all coursework remotely from the comfort of their home or office space.

Many educational providers also offer self-paced online programming classes. Unlike in-person and live online study, asynchronous programming material can be completed at your speed, on your own time. It consists of pre-recorded videos, YouTube videos, blogs, and other resources. These materials can be watched or read at any time of the day from any location. An additional benefit of on-demand programming material is that it is the most affordable learning option. Some content is even available for free. These accessible features make self-paced options a helpful resource for those new to programming or those who want to get an overview of this field before committing to a more structured learning path.

Noble’s Desktop’s Blog & Learning Resources page provides a wealth of information about different programming languages. Interested learners can read more about Python, JavaScript, Coding, and Data Science. If you want to learn about Python specifically, you can also check out Noble’s YouTube channel, which has a range of videos on this language. Their YouTube video, Making a Twitter Bot in Python, provides an hour of beginner-friendly instruction on how to get started writing Python code. In addition, Noble’s Python Tutorial: Exchanging Excel for Python is also provided for free. This video discusses whether Python will replace Excel in the future in fields like marketing or finance and how you can work with this programming language to stay ahead of the curve.

Noble provides an Intro to Front-End Web Development for those wishing to learn fundamental skills needed for creating the parts of a website visible in a browser. Another option offered by Noble is their Intro to Python Fundamentals. This one-hour webinar explores what Python is and how to install it. 

Read the complete guide on how to learn programming.

A Brief History of Programming

Computer programming has been around since the advent of computers, perhaps even before. The following is a timeline of some of the most critical moments in the history of programming:

• 1843: Ada Lovelace, English writer and mathematician, and daughter to Lord Byron, partnered with Charles Babbage to propose a mechanical computer called the Analytical Engine. At this time, she understood that machines could do more than perform calculations. She created and published the first machine-used algorithm and is remembered as the first Computer Programmer.

• 1889: Herman Hollerith created the tabulating machine, which allowed tabulating and counting data programmatically. 

• 1956: FORTRAN, one of the first programming languages, made its public debut. John Backus created this language at IBM.

• 1958: LISP was created by John McCarthy.

• 1959: Bob Bemer and Grace Hopper developed the COBOL language.

• 1964: Mary Keller, John Kemeny, and Thomas Kurtz created the BASIC programming language.

• 1965: The first object-oriented programming language, Simula, was created by Kristen Nygaard and Ole-Johan Dahl. 

• 1966: The portable BCPL programming language was invented by Martin Richards. In addition, MUMPS was created by Neil Pappalardo.

• 1971: Niklaus Wirth developed Pascal.

• 1972: Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie created the C programming language at Bell Labs. In addition, the second object-oriented programming language and the first integrated drive electronics, Smalltalk, was invented by Alan Kay.

• 1974: Edgar Codd created SQL, the first database programming language.

• 1979: Bjarne Stroustrup developed what would eventually become known as C++. Additionally, Oracle released the initial commercial version of SQL to the public.

• 1984: The MATLAB software package was released to the public.

• 1990: HTML, a markup language, was created by Tim Berners-Lee. This language remains one of the most popular programming languages available.

• 1991: Python, created by Guido van Rossum, made its public debut.

• 1993: Its creators, Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman introduced the R programming language. 

• 1995: James Gosling and Developers at Sun Microsystems created Java. In addition, Ruby was released this year as well.

• 2000: Microsoft released the C# language, which became an ISO standard by 2003. 

• 2007: Google began creating the Go programming language, which was later released to the public in 2009. 

• 2010: CoffeeScript, a multi-paradigm programming language, was released. 

• 2011: Google’s Dart language made its public debut. Dart is an open-source, web-based language.

• 2014: General-purpose language Babel was created. This language has applications for conserving system resources and battery life on various devices.

Comparable Fields

Often, people use the phrases “programming” and “computer science” interchangeably. These fields are related, but there are some critical differences between them. Computer science is the process involved with understanding how computer processes function. On the other hand, programming involves applying computer science theories so that they can be applied to real-world situations. Computer science draws from various skills and tools like database management, software engineering, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interactions. Programming focuses on writing and testing code for software apps and operating systems.

Programmers often work alongside Computer Scientists to design new technology. Computer Scientists gather requirements and then document their findings to have a more robust understanding of how a system operates. This research and detailed documentation allow them to provide recommendations to help the system perform more efficiently. Then, Programmers review the documentation to design a system that adheres to the requirements and suggestions.

Learn Programming with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop, an educational provider, located in Manhattan, offers a range of programming courses for those new to this field and individuals with more advanced coding skills. Noble’s bootcamps and certificates provide hands-on programming training in the small class setting and are an excellent option for those who want to take their programming skills to the next level.

Those wishing to pursue a career as a Full Stack Web Developer, explore Noble’s in-person and live online Full-Stack Web Development Certificate since it presents a high-level learning opportunity. Instruction is provided on both front end web development and back end programming. Participants in this rigorous course learn CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. In addition, instruction is provided on using Git to track code changes. Those enrolled also create dynamic web apps using Node.js and React. For those who want to study the most widely used programming language, Noble’s JavaScript Development Certificate is for you. This intensive certificate program teaches students how to use JavaSript to design websites, build web applications, and create database-driven apps.

Noble also offers a Data Science Certificate for those interested in becoming Data Scientists. This hands-on program provides mentoring, as well as hands-on training, from industry experts. Instruction is provided on core data science skills, such as creating machine learning models, using SQL to query databases, and performing data analysis using Python. Tuition includes the option of a free class retake for up to one year, as well as one-on-one mentoring.

Noble also offers an in-person and live online Python Developer Certificate for those who want to work with Python. Those who enroll in this certificate receive hands-on instruction on fundamental Python programming skills, like using Django for Python software development and working with Django REST, SQL, and Git. This training is designed to prepare students to become Back End Developers, Software Engineers, or Python Engineers.

Key Insights

• Programming involves creating code that Programmers can enter into a computer, application, or software program. This code instructs the device how to perform.
• Computer programming has been around for nearly 170 years. The first algorithm used by machines was published by Lord Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace, who proposed a mathematical computer, the Analytical Engine, in 1843.
• Computer science and programming have many similarities. However, these two fields differ because Computer Scientists seek to understand how various computer processes function, whereas Programmers apply these findings to real-world situations.
• You can receive comprehensive programming training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.