You don't have to be a computer whizz to learn to code

If you think that coding isn't for you, it might be time to think again. I'm not the standard coder. I didn't dismantle computers as a child, I'm female, and I'm in the fourth year of a humanities degree (English & Spanish at the University of Exeter).

The fact that I'm learning to code may not make much sense to you, but I think it's time well spent, particularly when it comes to preparing for the graduation job hunt.

Firstly, the tech world is an exciting place to be. In a survey of UK adults by hotels.com, 28% wished they had pursued a career in technology but felt themselves lacking in skills. This statistic should change now that coding is due to be introduced to the UK school timetable from September 2014. But for those of us already at university, I think we have some catching up to do before we graduate.

It's not really enough to simply know how to use computers. If you're applying for a company that has a website or application, a knowledge of how these work could be a great advantage when it comes to getting the job and succeeding at it. If you can show off a customised blog (even if just on Tumblr) or a tech project to a prospective employer, it could make you stand out.

You could start learning to code in an afternoon. Head over to Codeacademy, and in approximately seven hours you'll have grasped the basics of HTML and CSS with minimal confusion. For a go-to list of other free online resources, check out Year of Code, an initiative to get more people into coding during 2014.

Some major tech companies are also putting money and effort into getting more students into tech and coding, particularly when it comes to encouraging diversity. One great example is TechAbility - the result of Google collaborating with UK-based organisation EmployAbility - to offer selected disabled students an exclusive programme of career events and mentoring opportunities.

Sarah Denness, senior manager of EmployAbility, explains the value of coding for today's job market:

"As technology is becoming more and more sophisticated, and is reaching all corners of the globe, there are more opportunities within this field than ever before. Thus, the significance of good coding skills, when searching for a graduate job, has increased enormously."

For female undergraduates, it's worth looking out for campus coding workshops held by Code First: Girls (you can find updates on their Facebook and Twitter). Founders Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford are aiming to address what they see as the two main factors holding young women back from tech: a lack of technical skills and a lack of awareness of the opportunities in tech, even for those students without a STEM background.

In fact, the majority of Code First: Girls (CF:G) team members are from arts backgrounds, as are most participants of their free courses and "Hack Your Career Talks".

Alice Bentinck from CF:G says: "The courses we run at universities are open to students from any degree background and last academic year, 47% of participants were from Arts backgrounds. We find that young women with language backgrounds do particularly well as there are many similarities between the two disciplines."

By having my own basic coding knowledge, I was confident enough to apply for an internship at a tech startup in Barcelona during my year abroad. I was responsible for online marketing and copywriting, but I also worked on small technical tasks and was able to understand the work of the developer. During my placement, I was also selected for a mentoring programme with Google, which my degree wouldn't have easily led to in itself.

It's worth considering that in 2012 over 110,000 IT vacancies were available in the UK, and there's still a shortage of tech talent, particularly in London. Could you enhance your degree and career prospects - and even access these job vacancies - with a little CSS, Java or Ruby learnt in your spare time? Start off by completing some basic online coding tutorials, and it may well be the start of a new interest as well as a great employability enhancer.

(Source: TheGuardian)