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Coding 101

The Basics

Picture

Ok, WHAT is coding? 
Coding is a skill that let's us tell computers what to do.
"Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they’re all made with code." codeconquest.com


Why learn coding?  Through coding, you can make a website, find a job, build a career, work in many industries,, start a software business, build an app, launch a video game, or just understand technology.

How does coding work? You write code...and the code tells the computer what to do.
A computer can only understand ON and OFF, which uses Binary Code written in 1's and 0's.  The computer is a collection of on/off switches called transistors. Every function is a combination 1's and 0's, signalling some transistors turned on and some transistors turned off. In Binary Code, each digit represents one transistor. Binary code is organized into bytes. Bytes are groups of 8 digits representing 8 transistors.


What are programming languages?  Programming languages are unique sets of rules that define how code should be written and formatted.  Each language comes with a special program that that translates what coders write into binary code the computer can  understand. Different programming languages are designed for different purposes Low-level programming languages are closer to the binary code a computer understands, while high-level languages are not as similar to binary code but are easier to use. Most of the popular programming languages now are high-level languages.

What are programs? A text file written in a certain coding language is a program. The code inside the program text file is called the source code. Every coding language has its own file extension for identifying code files written in that language.


How do you make a program?  You write the code in a plain text editor and save the file to your computer.Tah-dah!

What happens when you run a program? A computer only understands ON and OFF.
To understand and complete a command, t
he source code must be translated into assembly language, the assembly language must be translated into machine language, and the machine language must be translated into binary code.

Fast Facts
  • The demand for coders far exceeds the supply and career coders are paid well.
  • Coders can start at $65,000 a year salary.
  • At Facebook and Google, starting salary is 125,000 a year.
  • The coder Nick D’Aloisio famously sold his iPhone app, Summly, to Yahoo! for $30m.
  • PHP and JavaScript are different - PHP scripts are executed by the server that hosts a website, while JavaScripts are executed by the browser viewing a website.
  • "Today, just 3.6% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women, and less than 10% of venture capital-backed companies have female founders. Yet females use the internet 17% more than their male counterparts,” the website notes." Girls Who Code


You Can Help! Become a CODING Sponsor, Donor, or Volunteer!

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New Mexico TechWorks is an initiative launched in partnership with the non-profit CommUNITY Learning Network (CLN) and a wide range of community advocates and supporters.
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© COPYRIGHT 2016  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  • NM TechWorks
    • Tech Stats >
      • Tech Triviia
    • Tech Task Force >
      • Santa Fe Public Schools
    • National IT Standards
    • Tech Women of New Mexico >
      • NCWIT Aspirations
    • By Regions >
      • Regional Chambers of Commerce
      • Maker Spaces
      • Business Incubators
      • Organizations
      • Los Alamos >
        • Project Y Los Alamos
        • Everyone Does IT
    • TechHire >
      • TechHire Santa Fe & Northern NM
      • TechHire Albuquerque
    • Internet Society - NM Chapter >
      • ISOC 25th Anniversary
      • Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2017
    • Community Learning Network
    • National Center for Women & IT
    • Counselors for Computing
    • Support
  • Tech Basics
    • Digital Literacy
    • CODING >
      • CODING LANGUAGES >
        • CODING BASICS
      • CODING OPTIONS
      • LEARN CODING
    • Cyber Security
    • Drones
    • Blockchain
    • Gaming >
      • Game Development >
        • Gamestar Mechanic
      • Never Alone >
        • Eline Media Event
      • Thunderbird Strike
    • Internet
    • InternetofThings
    • Robotics
    • Computational Thinking
    • Computer Science
  • Awesome Opportunities
    • Make A Website
    • Social Media Workshop
    • Business Boost
    • Media Mavericks
    • Youth Media Program
    • Youth Ambassadors >
      • Survey
    • Opportunity Zones
    • Teeniors
    • New! Pre-Boomerang Initiative
    • Tech AIM >
      • Interns and Associates 2018
      • Social Media Interns
    • Congressional App Challenge >
      • Congressional App Challenge 2019
      • Congressional App Challenge 2018
    • APP Awards & Showcase >
      • New Mexico APPS
      • Local App Project
  • Events
    • Film Festivals
    • Tech MeetUps
    • 2020 Events
    • 2019 Events >
      • Digital Learning Conference
      • Women In Tech Celebration
      • The Dent Conference
      • Business Expo APR 2019
      • SFCC PROTEC
      • STEM Studio 2019
      • Summer Camps - Summer of Tech 2019
      • StartUp Generation
      • Human Rights Day Camp
      • Flow Science Annual Open House
      • Close It Summit 2019 >
        • Shift Happens 2
      • New Collar Workforce Summit
      • 2019 Governor's STEM Challenge
      • Hour of Code 2019
    • 2018 Events >
      • Business Expo APR 2018
      • Eline Media Event
      • CS PD Week for Teachers
      • Summer Camps - Summer of Tech 2018
      • Tech Update
      • SFCC PROTEC
      • Regional Tech Exchange
      • Hour of Code 2018
      • Coding Film 2018 >
        • Coding Video Call for Submissions
        • Student Film Crew
    • 2017 Events >
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        • ICS 2017 Photos
      • Tech Speaker Series
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    • 2016 Events >
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  • Learn
    • AI Artificial Intelligence
    • GIS >
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    • Seniors Guide to Online Safety
    • Hour of Code
    • Workshops
    • Libraries
    • CS Education >
      • Cultivating Coders
      • Dev-Catalyst >
        • Dev-Catalyst Teachers
    • Bootcamps >
      • Deep Dive Coding >
        • Web Development
        • Java Android
        • Digital Media
    • Learn Coding Online
    • College >
      • IAIA Cinematic Arts and Tech
      • SFCC & SFI Film Degrees
      • SFCC Social Media Specialist
      • NNMC IET
    • For Teachers >
      • CS Professional Development Week
      • Dev-Catalyst
      • CS First - Google
      • Professional Development
      • Expanding Your Horizions
      • Career Academy
      • CS Fundamentals
      • CS for All
      • code.org
      • Day of Cyber
      • Girls of Energy
      • Girls Who Code
      • TechGirlz
      • Hour of Code in NM
      • ConnectedED
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      • Supercomputing Challenge
      • Future City
      • RoboRAVE
      • STEM Video Game Challenge >
        • Make Games
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      • Video Bank
  • Careers
    • Careers with Code
    • EMTech Creatives Santa Fe >
      • Zippy Guerin
      • Melanie Lenci
      • Lauren Henriksen
      • Russel Wilie
      • Myrriah Tomar
      • Acacia Carr
      • JC Ramirez
      • Oriana Cottrell
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