Quarantine has undoubtedly been a time of trying new hobbies - baking, cooking, sewing, you name it! As I began to brainstorm what new skill I wanted to embark on, none of the traditional activities suited me until I researched about coding.

Coding is an essential skill especially amongst a newly technological society and Computer Science jobs are hot right now! In Grade 10 and 11 I took CS courses learning how to use Processing and Javascript so it seemed like an excellent activity to continue. I researched that Python was an important language for most workplaces and commenced my quarantine coding journey spending 30-60 minutes a day dedicated to Python. With my background knowing other languages, seeing how the syntax presents itself on new platforms has been extremely interesting but sometimes confusing!

Here are the steps you can take to learn how to code too:

1. Research the language that you want to learn. If you're a real beginner, you may want to check out Scratch - a coding website for newbies!

2. Tutorials - there are loads of free courses and videos you can watch to become a programmer. Look out on Youtube, Coursera, EdX, and more! I’ve personally been watching this video to start out.

3. Practice and start your own small projects - MadLibs, Guess the Number, Hangman are some great ones to start.