“Learn to code” is a common, frustrating refrain often hurled at job-seekers, entrepreneurs, creative professionals, and others. Depending on who’s saying it, the intent could range from well-meaning to willfully hurtful.
It does, in a way, make sense. Computer programming is the foundational language that modern life is built on. And while many people use technology that they don’t understand every day—from microwaves to cars—there’s something a little different about programming. It’s omnipresent for just about anyone, just about everywhere, whether they use it for work or not. And more people use it for work than ever. It’s the single most sought-after skill in the job market.
But “learn to code” isn’t practical for everyone. Not everyone with an app idea has the time to learn how to build an app from scratch, or the money to hire people to do it for them. That’s where the low-code/no-code movement comes in. It’s all about giving the people the tools they need to execute on an idea without having to learn an entire new skill set. When you bake a cake, you probably don’t grind wheat into flour, and when you build an app, you don’t have to start with Python.
No-code isn’t really a new idea.
The fact that computers have menus and icons is the result of early programmers realizing that non-programmers would have to use a computer sometimes. You could look to tools like RPG Maker that let people build their own video games back in 1992. RPG Maker was like a Lego kit for making a video game. And not only is it still going strong, it proved itself prophetic. It turns out that giving people tools and a sand box is a great way to enable creativity.
This has been the long arc of the Internet, too. There was a time when participating in the World Wide Web in a meaningful way meant learning to program. Places like Geocities gave you real estate to set up a website. But you had to build that site yourself. We’ve moved away from that as the Internet commodified. Sites like Facebook and Twitter remove customization in the name of uniformity.
But creative tools persist. Consider “WYSIWYG,” or “What You See Is What You Get” web editors. These are tools like WordPress that reclaimed some of that Internet customization. They give you assets to build a website, and you plug them in where you want.
It’s a middle ground between building from scratch, and having everything handed to you. It’s the sweet spot of accessible creativity. (If you’ve never heard anyone say “WYSIWYG,” that’s probably because these web development tools are so common that they don’t really need a special name anymore.)
Right now, one of the biggest areas of no-code design is in app development. These app dev tools are similar to building a WordPress site. They give you the raw materials, and you customize and assemble them however you want to. Adalo, a no-code platform for building apps, lets your bring assets and ideas to the table, and gives you a framework to organize those ideas into an app.
They aren’t alone. AppOnboard, a no-code software development suite, purchased Buildbox, a leading no-code game development platform. Their combined resources represent a stunning library of assets, full of potential.
What does this mean for coders? Probably not much. Specialized skills are still in high demand. But for the rest of us, a slow democratization of development is taking place, and it’s exciting to watch it take shape.
Ivan | JobsBlog.ie
February 20, 2008 at 9:10 am
Hi Teresa,
I get the same again and again. The words period is towards Christmas when all the print sales media goes to the ‘overdrive’ mode. The SEO sales people are mostly young, and (at least in Ireland) they might know some SEO, but have not much sales experience. In our case, we are a job board – they explain the difference between the print, PPC and organic listings. And no matter how hard I try to explain them that we ONLY do SEO, they keep on selling me that same service as BETTER than what we currently do…
There should be a SPAM button on the phone too! 🙂
Ivan | http://www.JobsBlog.ie
huntsville pr
February 20, 2008 at 9:19 am
Good going Teresa. I get a lot of calls like that from people who have no clue as to how my business operate. I am proud of you…
Benn Rosales
February 20, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’m imagining that she now has PTSD having experienced that call with you- let that be a lesson to them to simply ‘remove you from all of their lists.’
Jay Thompson
February 20, 2008 at 12:31 pm
T, I get these knuckleheads calling all the time.
“Did you know your site isn’t on Google?”
“Really? Hell it was there this morning, wonder what happened?!?”
I love toying with them if I have the time. Sometimes I just ask them, “What are your thoughts on internal page linking structure? Is fully meshed or hierarchical better?”
Then I listen to the sounds of crickets chirping.
(and no, I don’t fully understand all that fully meshed / hierarchical mumbo jumbo, but I betcha 10 to 1 I know more about it than the caller)
Charleston real estate blog
February 20, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I had one try to convince me that ad clicks were better than organic search results.
Robert D. Ashby
February 20, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I like Jay’s response. Toying with them could be fun, not to mention a learning experience for them.
Teresa Boardman
February 20, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Funny . . I have said the same thing Jay says . . . “my site was number one on page one last time I checked”. They spam us too. The sad truth is many agents don’t know how to get traffic and even when they do get traffic it doesn’t generate business for them so they buy these products.
Charleston real estate blog
February 20, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I remember in another post somewhere that someone suggested asking how much it would cost to be on page five of Google rather than page one. I bet that stopped the sales pitch cold.
KC Investments
February 20, 2008 at 8:12 pm
“My blog may look random, but it is not. There is a system to what I am doing and it works. ”
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mack in Atlanta
February 21, 2008 at 10:19 am
Don’t you just love the way these SEO telemarketers start the call with the questions…Would you like to do more business this year than you did last year? or Could you stand to sell another home or two each month? And then they make the statement that they can get you on the first page of all the search engines. Fortunately I don’t have time to spend with them.
Shailesh Ghimire
February 21, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Teresa,
Wow. The nerve to argue. I wonder how much business I’d get if I argued with a potential client. Usually with telemarketers I speak my native language in response to their questions and while I never say anything bad, insulting or bad (I honestly reply to their questions, only in a different language). After a while they just hang up…… I do switch back to English if they say something I don’t like.. and that throws them off… kind of toying with them like Jay.
Mark A.
February 23, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Speaking of telemarketers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un_PjRXV5l8
Enjoy.
John Taylor
April 23, 2009 at 5:04 pm
What an excellent blog, I’ve added your feed to my RSS reader. 🙂