According to Clive Thompson of WIRED magazine, coding or programming has grown enough to become the next big job for people in the blue collar marketplace.
With every day that passes, the IT and tech industry requires an even larger workforce to deal with the demands of the job.
These requirements are almost the same as the majority of blue-collar jobs, except for the different set of skills.
The good news is that these paradigms seem to be changing, and with code learning becoming more accessible nowadays, future specialists might be able to finally demystify programming as a niche profession.
Silicon Valley is not the only place that needs coders
Sure, the Valley hosts several of the most coveted tech companies in the entire world, but there is no shame in making a life as a programmer working for a small startup or organization.
In fact, this is true for most coders. WIRED found that only 8% of the programming workforce in the U.S. works for a big-time firm in California, while the remaining 92% work for other kinds of company.
However, a regular job for an IT specialist is still better paid than an entry-level position for any other professional. Experts have a base salary that more than doubles the average of all the other fields at $81,000.
Coding is a blue-collar job for a new age
Just like all other blue-collar jobs, coding demands long hours, problem-solving skills, and a willingness to work in very particular environments. The set of abilities needed to take on a programming gig is perhaps one of the main differences in this day and age.
In spite of this, the landscape is adapting to the needs of an ever-growing world in terms of technology. In the next seven years, the need for programmers is likely to grow 12% in the U.S. alone.
Silicon Valley powerhouses like Google have initiatives like Code Next and Code Jams to inspire learners of all ages and social backgrounds to learn how to program.
In a smaller scale, IT professionals across the country have similar projects that enroll both former and potential blue-collar workers. The idea is to show that, just like any other blue-collar job, all it takes is dedication.
Although not all may be able to create life-changing software, platforms, or applications a-la Mark Zuckerberg with Facebook, the world needs specialists that can tackle the increasingly bigger workload that the tech industry has.
The challenge is to overcome standing stereotypes that hold coding as a highly-specialized skill that only the brightest minds can attain. Seemingly ordinary people can also harness the extraordinary power of programming, and we need them to.
Source: WIRED