‘One should not learn coding out of peer pressure’

Aaranya, who has been coding for a couple of years’ now, recently received a certificate in python fundamentals from CppBuzz.com, a free education website to learn and enhance programming skills. He also got a certificate in React JS fundamentals from freeCodeCamp, a web platform to help people learn to code gratis. Aaranya has created nearly half-a-dozen Machine Learning Projects using Python and is part of a school group called ‘Codemasters’. Both ofAaranya’s parents are doctors at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. His mother Dr. Binita Jaiswal is an Anaesthesiologist and his father Dr DK Singh is a Radiologist. In an interview, the 14-year-old shares his passion for coding/programming and gives important advice to budding coders. Edited excerpts:

What’s the difference between coding and programming?

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, coding and programming are altogether different from each other. Coding is basically the act of translating instructions (codes) from human language to a machine-based language. It can also be called a subset of programming and tells the computer what actions to perform, whereas Programming is the method of developing a full-fledged software. To create a product, several processes are required such as research, design, testing and implementation. The entire procedure can be referred to as programming.

We live in an era where technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate. Do you think it’s essential for students to learn coding/programming?

I agree that learning coding/ programming can help you gain life skills to achieve academic and career success. However, one should not learn coding out of peer pressure. Every person has individual strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes we get swayed by others. The desire to learn coding should come from within. Also, the world doesn’t just need programmers. There are so many fields to choose from. I believe students need to find ways to engage in education and learn, whether it’s programming, History, English, Maths or any other subject or craft.

Can you learn coding on your own?

Of course, you can. There are plenty of free and inexpensive resources available online for you to learn new techniques, and make this learning process fun and exciting. It’s important to choose the right programming language. Most professionals recommend learning Python, C#, or JavaScript, as they offer the widest utility. The idea is to get started, once you become comfortable with one programming language, you’ll be able to pick up the next one that much faster. All you need to have is the desire to learn.

You have created a lot of Machine Learning Projects? Tell us about them?

To those who don’t know, Machine Learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that provides systems the ability to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. I love working on new projects as it helps me hone my skills. One of the projects created by me can be used to predict students’ grades and the other predicts used-car prices.  Also, five students from our school have created a group called ‘Codemasters’ to collaborate on exciting projects. We have come up with numerous useful applications and computer programmes such as voice assistant for windows, face and eye detection app, Covid-19 dashboard, a YouTube video downloader and a dictionary app among others using Python, C and React JS.