What is one way that coding has benefited your life?

I started out my education focusing on coding, and then moved away from it. That said, I have still found that it's a useful skill to have available to me. I have been able to automate some tasks assigned to me to save time, or do a deeper analysis of work that would otherwise not be possible due to time constraints. Even using simpler programs like Excel are made easier if you have a programming background and know enough to use some complex functions,. But you need to know where it is applicable and where it is not.

And that is where coding is the most useful as far as updating your thinking process. It becomes easier to identify tasks where a computer could quickly handle repetitive tasks, or where automation is a possibility, even if someone else will be doing the actual coding. You become more aware of opportunities to apply coding.

I find that this background is also helpful when developing processes, like how work will flow through a team. Your essentially developing a program with if-then logic to determine how work will be done, and looking for problems in that process that could break down, even if they are manual, human processes.

Even just using a program like Excel, k

Ha Ha! Everyone learning to code become better problem solvers. Its a packaged deal. <span style="color: rgb(93, 103, 106);">Coders give optimal solutions by automating processes such as building websites, building software to support the supply chain and many more. </span>

There are a lot of benefits and the obvious one is, I get paid for the code I write or I'd rather say for the problems that I solve writing programs.

As others indicated, coding helps you think critically and solve problems in a logical, process-based way. It teaches you to step back and ask, "what is the big picture problem I am solving here? What is the goal?" and break a problem down into more manageable components (ie functions) to reach that goal. Everything from planning a large work project and the steps involved, to deciding at home how to plant my garden, benefits from the lessons of algorithms and process learned through coding. Coding has much more to do with a way of thinking than any particular language such as C++ or Ruby.

Understanding the way people write code, and having written many programs myself, has certainly assisted in my own troubleshooting abilities (having working as a support engineer and troubleshooting our customer's issues for the last 18 years).

However, even your understanding of any technology will never, ever, be enough alone to be a good troubleshooter. In addition to knowledge and experience, the methodology used in troubleshooting any issue is absolutely vital! This includes fully and completely understanding the problem, from different observation points, and really understanding every element of an issue before you even begin troubleshooting.

Once the symptoms of the problem are understood (as much as feasible), THE WAY you use all the information you have is then key to isolating the cause of any issue. One (of several) methodologies that are taught (and applicable to all areas of troubleshooting in life) is available through the Kepner-Tregoe organisation (Problem Solving & Decision Making).

Additionally, understanding coding can benefit your life in all kinds of other ways. It allows you to have a grasp of possibilities, and also provides SATISFACTION in CREATING something that benefits others. Being able to come up with an idea is marvelous, but being able to formulate a method of creating and putting that idea into reality is very fulfilling (especially if that reality benefits many).

Very interesting question, Camilo!

Mukeshnath provided a great answer. I too earned my living solving problems using code. I agree that the problem solving aspect is a huge part of a career in coding. In addition, I learned how computers worked since much of my career was spent writing assembly code. There is a lot of logic involved but also a great deal of creativity. I loved the challenge!

Coding has helped me to automate redundant tasks. I still remember my first script. I have been into Customer Support for quite sometime now and during the process of troubleshooting one of the most complex issues, I happened to figure out the time that it took to get the output of multiple commands that had to be run at multiple times on the customer's network infrastructure. To avoid this, I actually built out a Linux Shell Script that could automate the task. Not only, did this aid in troubleshooting the issue faster, but also, it provided our engineering teams to directly incorporate this into the serviceability of the product which in turn appreciates the customer experience!