Why I Should Learn Coding Languages: A Digital Marketer's Perspective

Let me preface this by saying that digital marketing was a class that caught my eye when I was tasked with registering for winter quarter classes. Naturally, going into this class, a part of me assumed that coding knowledge is an essential in a digital marketer's toolbox. I had actually planned on enrolling in an introductory computer science course during my last quarter at Western Washington University. However, this class has altered my perceptions of the coding knowledge a digital marketer should possess.

A few weeks ago, I brought up coding in class since I did want to learn. Much to my surprise, my professor told me that I do not need to be an amazing coder to succeed in digital marketing. In fact, I can still succeed being a fairly elementary coder. Pretty much, unless I plan to pursue a career in programming like the ones in this article about coding boot camps, I do not need extensive knowledge. However, it would be great for me to experiment with web design. If I can understand code, I'll become more valuable as a digital marketer. Instead of relying on IT to correct code, by knowing the basics, I can at least go in and try to correct errors by myself. So for today's blog, I chose to write about my experience with Code Academy and Squarespace.

Code Academy was honestly one of the better experiences I've had in my digital marketing class. While I did not work much on it, I learned some of the basics. Today alone, I went through about 25% of the material offered on that website. Code Academy is very easy to learn. I really enjoyed how they walked you through the basics of HTML & CSS. It was great how each lesson built on each other. For example, there was a point where I had to experiment with links and images. Code Academy first showed how to build hyperlinks, then followed with a tutorial on how to turn images into hyperlinks. This type of sequential learning allowed me to learn new material while still keeping the older material fresh on my brain. I also very much enjoyed how Code Academy would correct my code if I was wrong!

Code Academy is not very time consuming either. The lessons I took today went around 1.5 hours. I definitely plan on exploring this website more.

Squarespace was a different experience for me. I think the most beneficial aspect of Squarespace is the detail it goes into. You can design a website for just about any scenario. Whether you want to build a blog or a site to sell your clothing designs, Squarespace will make that happen for you. For any Squarespace users, the service offers analytics. Users will have access to statistics about their website like mobile usage, RSS subscribers and more. Also, for those engaging in e-commerce, they have access to important information like orders. You also have the option to manage your inventory with Squarespace. However, despite these things, I found my first experience with Squarespace to be extremely difficult. I will definitely need to explore it more and practice building my own website. I made an attempt at it, which you can see here (just a warning- it's pretty awful since I'm still a beginner). I look forward to practicing more and honing my skills in my free time!