DEV Community: SIESGSTarena

Why should people from all branches code:

SIESGSTarena — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 16:51:58 +0000

Coding: a medium of communication with a unique set of languages to interact with machines around us. Also coding: a hot topic of discussion due to its rising importance in our fast-paced world. The growing interest in this subject raises several important questions, one of which I will be addressing below. Is it necessary to learn coding, even if you are not from the CS/IT branch? What benefit do the other branches get for putting the effort?

Let me begin by acknowledging the fact that today, codes or coding isn’t something exclusive. In our day to day activities, some code is always running behind the scene, be it the algorithm of Instagram, or the automatic doors in malls. Yet, there is a fear associated with coding which leads to reluctance to learn. To leave this fear behind, I am here hoping to state some points which may encourage you to pick up and get interested in this domain.

1) Today, computers are used in almost 95 % of the engineering field. You can incorporate coding into almost every branch of engineering. Work can be done much faster by writing computer programs to automate tedious tasks that otherwise would have needed to be done by hand.
2) Beginning to learn coding while being in another stream can be a bit jarring. But there is no such necessity that it has to be started from the very first year. Whichever year you are currently in, learning to code, even one OOP language is very beneficial. It helps in developing the ability to understand the logic behind any given problem, thus opening up our brain and improve problem solving skills in real life (soft skills which are much needed!)

3) Contrary to belief, coding is not an alien concept in other streams. Let us take the example of electronics stream. The theoretical work is quite advanced and almost always requires some level of coding to help model things or solve nasty math. If you are interested in interfacing with reality and to understand possibilities, limits and the quirks of the hardware, you will be dealing with low level languages or assembly language. If signal processing, power management and such are the topics which grab your attention, python, c and Matlab will be an integrate part of it.

4) Coding becomes important in fields where control systems are extensively used. For e.g.: if you are planning to enter the field of computational mechanics, knowing how to code is an added advantage. Languages like Python are used in other areas of mechanical engineering like vibrations and dynamic motion, simulation and modeling engineering, etc. Mechanical and automobile industries use codes to automate tasks.
5) Looking from the employment point of view, knowing how to code gives you a major edge. You gain leverage to a position above the average engineer who fears computer programming. Companies favor you during your job interview and adds extra mark to you. Dare I say, learning to code is a must to up your game in job survival

To conclude, it is high time we stop restricting coding to just 2 branches. Soon, it won't just be engineering - Just as literacy moved from a luxury to basic need, so it will be with coding. Human-to-machine interaction is gaining importance by the day, and power is to those who are fluent in code.

Gouri H
Content Writer
SIESGSTarena-Codechef Campus Chapter

Why to Code ?

SIESGSTarena — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 10:39:14 +0000

Hey folks, as you are reading this, I guess you are thinking of learning to code, or maybe you started but want some motivation about why one should learn to code?

Don’t worry!
In the next 3-4 mins, I will try to cover why it is really necessary to learn to code, and also will try to cover some benefits of learning it early. So before going into the benefits of coding, let’s first answer what is coding? So, Coding is another language in itself. Every letter in the language has a special formula of 0’s and 1’s that represent it. These 0’s and 1’s give the technology around us directions on how to perform. How interesting it is to understand the working and be able to communicate with technology around you and me, isn’t it?

“Coding gives you the ability to speak to the technology around you”

Coding fosters creativity
The impact of coding on creativity is undeniable. You can think of hundreds of ways of solving a particular question. Each has its length and execution times, each way attacks the problem from a different angle. This flexibility in approaching the problem improves your creativity and problem-solving skills, which is an essential skill-set in the 21st Century.

Coding helps to improve math skills
Coding helps you to explore real-world applications of math concepts. It enables you to visualize abstract mathematical concepts. Mathematical topics that are considered to be obsolete by some often enable a developer to solve bugs that would elongate the development otherwise. Coding makes maths enjoyable!

Coding boosts confidence.
With coding, you learn to plan things and organize your thoughts. This indirectly improves your academic performance, which in turn boosts your confidence as well.

After understanding the reasons to learn to code, I’ll assure you, it’s never too late to start!

Now let's see some benefits of learning it.

Coding literacy can help you in understanding different aspects of technology.
Knowledge of coding helps you in different ways, too. It can be the difference between the person who can easily learn any aspect of technology and who cannot. It indirectly showcases your image as a fast learner, and in today’s ever digital world is crucial.

Coding allows you to pursue your passion projects.
Coding is a wonderful skill for you if you are a person who has tons of ideas and wants to get started with everything yesterday. Not having to look for a coder saves both time and money, plus it gives you the independence to keep changing and keep redesigning as your idea develops.

Coding can assist you with freelancing.
If you want to earn some pocket money for your daily chores then freelancing is best for you. Freelancing empowers individuals to lead the much sought after laptop-lifestyle. If you are thinking of going freelance or have the ability to work while studying, coding can be a great way to get into this. As coding is a highly valued skill at the moment, many big companies are ready to outsource their work. This means skill coders have a choice to work on their schedules and charge a nice rate for it at the same time. This also makes you self-dependent in your college life itself.

With all this, the added benefit of coding from my experience is you lose the fear of failure. Let’s consider a scenario wherein you get many errors in your code, you start trying to figure out what may have caused it and how to solve it. As time goes, you will find yourself experimenting and trying many different possibilities before settling on a particular solution. As you practice more, you will lose the fear of failure because you will know you will always reach a solution regardless of the number of trials you need.

So c’mon, buck up, boot your machine and start learning, as the one who does is the one who succeeds. Happy Learning!

Mehul Aswar
ML Developer and Content Writer
SIESGSTarena - Codechef Campus Chapter

Announcing SIESGSTarena's Open Source Site

SIESGSTarena — Sun, 30 Dec 2018 04:17:03 +0000

SIESGSTarena is the CodeChef SIESGST Campus Chapter is an online platform for conducting programming competitions. It is a one spot for friendly competition, built on top of competitive programming platform. It was created as a platform to help programmers learn, share and improve themselves in the world of algorithms. This platform is built and maintained by students of SIES Graduate School of Technology.

At SIESGSTarena, we focus on improving the level of Competitive Programming in the college as well as we engineer applications at an aggressive pace. To do so, the software or tools, we develop as well as use must be simple to understand, production-hardened, and easily accessible. That’s why we support open source software. We make use of the best the community has to offer, and contribute our best work back to the community.

Our Developer Team is excited to announce SIESGSTarena’s Open Source Site, a page highlighting some of the best softwares and tools available on our public GitHub page. We have some exciting projects in the works. And they’ll be highlighted here, first.

We hope that SIESGSTarena’s open source software sparks adoption, discussion, contributions and ultimately, an even richer open source community.