The platform that you learn to code on can be just as important as the languages themselves, and there has never been a better time to take up coding.
According to the World Economic Forum, automation will displace about 85 million jobs in the next five years. This will lead to employees with coding skills becoming more valuable.
While coding may seem alien to many people, it’s actually very accessible if you decide you want to get started. There are plenty of online resources to help you get started and the possibilities of what you can achieve are endless.
Raspberry Pi offers the perfect platform for you to take your first steps in this new world. Read on to find out why.
Accessibility
Raspberry Pi may only be a credit-card sized computer, but its capabilities are incredible. You can use it to make your own voice assistant, a home sound system, a video doorbell or even a robot.
You might expect there to be a hefty price tag attached to such a versatile computer, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, you can get a Raspberry Pi 400 all-in-one personal computer kit for just over £92 – a bargain when you consider what it can achieve.
The only thing you’ll need to buy separately to get started is a monitor, but if you have a TV with an HDMI port you can connect it to that.
OS versatility
While the all-in-one kit comes with a microSD card preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS, there are plenty of other options for you to choose from.
For something with a more familiar feel you can install Windows IoT Core. It was built especially for programmers to use Raspberry Pi and Windows 10 to build prototypes of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
There are also plenty of other Debian/Linux-based systems that you can use, so you have plenty of options to switch to one that’s better suited for a specific task once you’ve mastered the basics.
Power usage
Despite its incredible processing power, Raspberry Pi uses far less power than other computers. It has no fan so is more energy efficient and runs far quieter.
For people who are extremely energy conscious, you could programme your Raspberry Pi so that it becomes an energy monitoring system. If you want it to actively play a role in making your home eco-friendlier, you can even use it to help control your smart lighting and heating systems.
Variety
Python, Java and JavaScript are three of the most popular programming languages in the world. With Raspberry Pi, you’re able to learn them all.
With a little bit of work, it’s also likely you’ll be able to teach your Raspberry Pi to interpret other languages like C, C++ and PHP.
