Become A Coder And You Could Earn This Much Money

Technology has become a staple in today’s society, it is a reoccurring theme within our articles. However, this is due to the fact that is is so much to talk about. The way we will our lives have changed. For most of us, we have a symbiotic relationship with technology. Many of us can’t live without technology and vice versa. However, someone must run this technology. The tech industry is booming. Every day you hear about tech startups, some even become major players in the world’s economy. Take Amazon for example. At some point in time, Amazon was just an idea in Jeff Bezos‘s head. However, as the internet and forms of communication evolved, so did Amazon. The same goes for Facebook, Uber, Airbnb, and every telecommunication company.

The people who are more or less the backbone of the industry, coders. In this article, we’ll take a look at what being a coder means. Along with the potential earns, how to become one, and the many lucrative avenues that a coder can take.

What Is Coding Or Computer Programming?

Computer programming, in its simplest definition, is the act of creating software, application or program. However, that may be a bit of a vague definition. Therefore, here is a more exact definition of computer programming or coding.

Much like how humans have different languages, the world of coding does as well. There are some of the most common ones are Python and Javascript. Although a lot of them are similar, they all have unique differences. Some are better suited for certain tasks. However, what are you able to do with coding knowledge under your belt? Well, a lot. From video games, mobile apps to facing a computer in chess, everything is programmed. You may have seen what coding looks like. A bunch of symbols and characters mashed together. These symbols have meanings and are very detailed oriented. Therefore, it takes a lot of skill to become a coder.

Creating algorithms is difficult and one small mistake can give you an error. Therefore, it takes time and a ton of attention. However, you may be asking what are the steps you need to take in order to become a coder. Well, it’s actually pretty straight forward.

How To Becoming A Coder

Becoming a coder is both easy and difficult. It’s difficult because of the amount of information you must learn. Not only is every little detail important, i.e. case sensitivity but there are many languages. The best part is, to become a coder, you don’t need any formal schooling. Furthermore, this is one of those industries where you can make it extremely far without any formal schooling. However, going to school for coding will make your life a lot easier. This is due to the fact that coding has a steep learning curve. Finding a starting point on your own can be difficult. However, there are many resources that can help you start such as Codecademy.

Schooling

The schooling for a degree in computer science/programming can very work heavy. In universities like Ryerson, their computer science degree takes four years to acquire plus one year of the co-op. However, is it expensive? A computer science degree isn’t anymore more expensive than your average full-time degree.

As depicted above, the cost of tuition for a full-time student at Ryerson in computer science is $7,000 – $9,500 per year. Fairly reasonable and is one of the degrees that I would say is worth it acquiring. This is due to the fact that the knowledge is worth more than the degree you’ll get at the end of your 4/5 years. There are many degrees that once acquired, are hard to find a job with. With a degree in computer science, if you’re proficient in what you’ve learned throughout the years, finding a job shouldn’t be extremely difficult.

Lastly, in a computer science program, you don’t just learn about languages.

You’re able to learn so much more than just languages. The possibilities are endless. Going to a school that allows you to explore so many areas within the vast field of computer science is a huge asset. Therefore, the tuition you paid is going to good use. That is if you don’t squander the opportunity like many people in university do.

Self-Taught

As I said, experience and knowledge are huge in this world. However, there is a steep learning curve. However, there are many people out there that are successful who are self-taught. There are many resources that you can use in order to become proficient. There are websites such as YouTube, Codecademy and Reddit who have people, videos and modules that’ll help you increase your knowledge. However, since coding is not easy, the best way to learn is to create a goal. Once you’ve created this goal, work towards it while learning everything that you can.

An example of this is creating a website. Let’s say that you want to learn how to create a fully functional website like this one. Find out the steps you’ll need to learn in order to create it. For example, creating a website you’d probably need to learn JavaScript and CSS (for styling). Take the necessary steps to learn the fundamentals for both JavaScript and CSS. You can do this in many ways because ultimately, it’s up to how you learn. However, you can try and grasp a good understanding of both before creating a website. However, you can also create as you’re learning. Mistakes will happen and should be welcome because that’s how you’ll learn.

While learning, you can also do some freelance work on websites such as Freelancer.com. There are a ton of small and large projects that can help you learn and get your feet wet. What’s better than learning for free? Getting paid to learn. However, it is important to have a good understanding first. Of course, you won’t know everything. However, picking up little side jobs is going to help you learn and earn at the same time. However, make sure you pick tasks that are within your skill level and are able to find answers to if you ever get confused.

How Much Can They Make?

The answer that everyone wants to know. How much do computer programmers get paid? Well, it should come to no surprise that the answer isn’t that simple. There are many areas and differentiating income levels that giving a solid number wouldn’t be viable. However, what we can do is take a look at 3 of the highest-earning computer programming jobs out there.

Data Scientist

A data scientist is someone who analyzes information and makes value out of it. This can mean many things. However, the definition I gave is somewhat vague. Therefore, we shall look at an example of what a data scientist is.

Data scientists are huge is the medical industry and are extremely important. They look at data and develop tools that’ll help predict and identify certain diseases. For example, Google has developed an AI called LYNA (Lymph node Assistant) that is used to detect breast cancer. For more example on how it works, check out the article here.

On average, data scientists earn $110,000 per year (based on the survey above). This is an extremely appealing amount. For some, they get into this field for the money itself. Data scientists are a huge part of society and make major contributions that aid in the advancement of society. Therefore, it’s only natural that they get paid a healthy amount. With a low of $38,000 per year to a high of $186,000 per year, there is a lot of room for growth. However, if you can make it to the upper echelons of this particular field, money most likely will never be an issue.

Back-End Developer

When looking at a website, there are two sides to end. What you’re seeing is when you first click on a website is called the front-end. However, there is a whole other half to a website that works in cohesion with the front-end. This is called the back-end developer. The reason why clicking a certain button takes you to a specific page is because of the back-end development. Websites and programs can take a whole team to operate and maintain. Therefore, it’s only natural that they get paid a lot. However, how much money do these people make?

For some people, these median earnings may be what is expected. However, for some, this may be a complete shock. The median average out of 177 salaries across Canada is $115,000. What’s more surprising is that the lowest reported salary out of those that were submitted was $72,000. This is more than some dual-income households earn. Furthermore, this amount would definitely put you in the top-earning percentile in Canada.

DevOps Engineer

DevOps is are people who work in conjunction with IT professionals in order to oversee code and deployment. Therefore, the purpose of DevOps is to help software developers and IT work closer together in order to create an environment that speeds up the building, testing, and deployment of software. Furthermore, it increases cybersecurity by building and deploying updates at a faster rate.

Although DevOps has a slightly lower max income than the previous two professions, it has the highest median and lowest salary. According to Stats Canada, the top 10% earners in Canada earn around $135,000. This means that your median salary will be among the highest-paid in Canada. DevOps is an important job and makes a large difference. Large companies such as Amazon started using DevOps engineers since the early 2010s. The field is competitive and requires a vast amount of knowledge, and experience. However, the payout may be too much for some people to overlook.

Shameed Chris Khan

Shameed is just a man on a mission to help those around him gain financial success. Obsessed with writing about all things finance, this GTA native is constantly learning and sharing his experiences with others.