“Teach me to code?”

Now and then, a client will ask me if custom development is something they could handle in-house. And if so, could I help them get started?

To the second question, the answer is: Yes, I can certainly help you get started. Actually, I could help you get pretty far along on that path.

And to the first question: Could you do that in house? Sure.

What's not being asked here is, "Should you?"

• Do you personally have any experience writing custom code?

• Do you have someone in-house who is?

• Considering the steep learning curve, is this the best use of your time?

• Considering that many people do this kind of thing as a career, is this something you want to add to your job description?

In most cases, the answer to all of those is, “No.”

Here's the thing:

Given enough genuine interest and dedication, there is probably no skill that you cannot acquire.

The important question is: Is it worth it?

But isn't that always the question?

All the best,
A.