You’ve probably heard the terms Machine Learning, Big Data, Virtual Reality and Internet of Things tossed around. You’ve also probably heard how these innovative technologies are driving us towards the future and how developers are changing the world.

And you know what? They’re right. Well… mostly.

It’s natural to feel like you’re getting left behind. Here are some questions you’ve probably asked yourself when considering whether you should learn to code or not.

1. What do any of these things mean?
2. How do people even get started learning this stuff?
3. Am I good enough to try it?

These were questions I asked myself before I became a developer. I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to learn by working for a good boss. After some months of playing around with Javascript, HTML, CSS, and SQL, I was soon developing apps that would go on to improve the lives of our users.

If you’re a developer, why are you saying I shouldn’t learn to code?

Although being able to code was — and is — an important skill for myself and many others in the technology industry, I believe that it is only a necessary skill in the right situation. That situation in most cases is when you are trying to come up with a solution to an existing problem.

But Richard, that’s not really true is it? How do these amazing programmers come up with awesome ideas for startups and bring them to life through the sheer power of their fingers?

Yes you’re right — I was just exaggerating to get my point across. In most cases, developers are usually constructing solutions to solve problems they’ve been given.

The other half of the equation is actually understanding what the problem is. In fact, amazing programmers who come up with these groundbreaking startups are doing both — they’re solving an important problem for their customer segments and then building it.

So in essence…

You need to understand the problem before coming up with a solution.

It may sound obvious when I put it this way, but many teams and companies suffer from not fully understanding this concept. Before figuring out what their users actually need, many managers and stakeholders throw money at developers to build solutions that aren’t beneficial.

This leaves a huge opportunity for people who are able to clearly understand and articulate the problem space of which they’re working in.

So then should I learn to code?

If you get a rush from solving problems, and enjoy working through difficult problems, then coding is for you. You need to have a knack for being resourceful, paying careful attention to details and being persistent when confronted with difficult problems.

If however you’re more into speaking with customers, learning about their processes and needs, and figuring out how your service or product can fit into their lives, you’re probably better off focusing on the business side of things. Roles like product management, product design, marketing and sales are all about figuring out customer pain points.

I encourage you to explore learning resources around programming to decide for yourself whether it’s your cup of tea. As you progress through the different resources, keep these points in mind. You will learn very quickly whether you’re interested in coding at all.