What does learning to code actually mean?

Article by Dr Anchit Chandran

So you’ve heard medics should "learn to code".

What does that actually mean?

It’s the same as learning a foreign language!

🤔 How to learn German

English is my only fluent language.

In Year 8, I started learning German.

We began with the letters, grammar and syntax. The characters ß (Eszett) and ü (Umlaut) were new.

We progressed to how letters formed individual words: die Katze (the cat), das Bett (the bed), and die Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (the black forest gateux).

Words are combined into phrases and sentences. These are improved through more advanced concepts like reflexive pronouns and dative prepositions. In theory, I could write stories, songs and entire scripts. I actually wrote a short play in German. It won second place in the 2015 Oxford German Olympiad.

Learning to code is very similar to learning German, or any language.

💡How to learn to code

You begin by learning your chosen programming language's basic commands, grammar and syntax. In Python, you could show a greeting by using the print command:

Output

>>> "Hello, I'm Anchit, and I'm one of the doctors!"

Then, you learn how commands fit together, like words in a sentence, to make complex programs.

What do you think the output of the following Python code will be:

Output

>>> "Tachycardia"

You improve by learning more advanced concepts like Object-Oriented Programming or data structures and algorithms. With all of these skills, you can create websites from scratch, or delve into creating AI with machine learning.

There’s no “end-point”; like medicine, coding is a continual journey.

👩‍🎓 How do I start?

Ok, Anchit, that all makes sense, and even though it’s really cool you won that German writing prize, I still don’t know how to start.

First, consider why you want to learn to code.

Is it to solve a particular problem? Is there a specific area in your life that could be improved through coding? Is it just for fun?

There are many different languages out there, each with its own pros, cons, and use-cases.

Don't get paralysed by the choice paradox. These are my recommendations for any medic starting their coding journey:

• If you’re interested in web development (i.e. anything related to websites or web apps), start with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

• If you’re interested in anything else (particularly data science, machine learning, and MedTech), or you’re unsure what you want to do, learn Python.