With the way technology is rapidly evolving, coding is becoming a must-have skill _ and not only for those in the information technology (IT) and computer sector. The ability to code can lead to the creation of solutions to everyday problems a person faces, whether that person is an entrepreneur or student. Through the #WeSpeakCode campaign, two creative entrepreneurs took a crash course in coding and got hooked to it. Coding has enabled them to devise solutions to the challenges they face in at work.

Esther Sianipar, Community Affairs Manager, Microsoft Indonesia

Esther believes that the ability to code is of value not only to those in computer sciences, but also to those in creative fields. When a person has coding skills, the person could come up with solutions particular to their line of work and business.

'€œPeople can definitely integrate coding into their business. And there are many resources, such as Code.org, through which people can learn coding. Code.org has already changed the perception of many people by showing that coding is not only for people in information technology (IT), but is for everyone.

People simply have to commit themselves in taking the first step in learning how to code, which involves picking up a coding language. They also have to find out the benefits in knowing how to code.

Coding, of course, can result in apps that are accessible worldwide. Moreover, coding can result in the founding of a startup which would create job opportunities for others. I believe that Indonesians have a lot of skills that they can create something of use for those in other countries.'€

Dwika Putra, Musician

Dwika Putra is a singer and songwriter, besides doing gigs as a singer and musician. Dwika recently tried his hand at developing a music app, called Songflake, which turns tunes into vector graphics. The graphics can then be projected on screen as a visual representation of the music an artist is playing.

'€œEvery person has their signature style when they play music, and that is how I got the idea for my app. My app projects musical tunes produced by three the three instruments '€” guitar, piano, and drums '€” into visual graphics.

My main challenge in making this app, which took 15 hours to code, was that I was pretty clueless on graphic design. But ultimately, there must be a willingness to start learning programming, which sure looks difficult at first.

If I continue developing this app, I plan to utilize a high-level programming language, because they are not as tough as machine-code languages. I hope that one day, the app can be used to spice up live performances. The musician will play music and a graphic representation of the music will appear on a large screen.'€

Ayu Dyah Andari, Fashion Designer

Ayu Dyah Andarai specializes in elegant and modern Muslim wear. She often accepts orders from her clients, and this is where communication becomes critical. People often find it difficult to describe the exact embroidery pattern they desire to be stitched on their dresses.

'€œI made an app containing the various Palembang-style embroidery patterns my clients could choose from. My clients can choose their desired embroidery from a pattern bank, and then place the embroidery on a drawing of their dress. They can then adjust the pattern to the size and position to their liking.

This app has really helped me interpret the ideas of my clients, and I regret I did not get into coding sooner. I found coding to be really exciting, although initially, it seemed extremely complicated.

The most important part in coding is to be able to structure our thoughts into a fluid, logical manner. Only then can we code an app with sound logic. In addition, coding means going through a lot of trial and error before finding the code that works.'€

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