Code is just language

Code isn't just for math nerds 🤓. If you're good at language, you can be a great programmer. Growing up, I tended to favor language over mathematics. In high school I loaded up on French and Spanish while skipping out on advanced math. I loved computers and technology, but I just assumed programming was only for people who loved to nerd out with high-level mathematics.

During my last year of law school, I started teaching myself to code and was blown away by the similarities between learning a programming language and a foreign language. I often tell my lawyer friends that there's not much difference in writing conditional code and drafting complicated proviso clauses in a lease agreement.

Think back to high school English or foreign language classes you've taken. You probably learned about the following:

• Syntax
• Cognates
• Style/ Diction
• Structure
• Language families (ex/ Romance languages)

Well, when it comes to programming you'll need to rely on the following:

• Syntax
• Cognates
• Style (ex/ linters, prettier)
• Structure
• Language families (ex/ object oriented, procedural, etc..)

If you're someone who's terrified by lambda calculus and modulo arithmetic, there's good news! You don't really need a mastery of advanced mathematics to write a basic application. In fact, there are a virtually unlimited number of possible apps you can create without needing anything beyond basic arithmetic.