Did you know that jobs that require coding skills pay $22,000 more, on average, than jobs that don’t?
The relevance of coding skills in the 21st-century job market cannot be overstated, and its benefits can be surprisingly wide-ranging. For one, many see learning to code as the first step towards a tech career, which has remained appealing to many people. Contributing to the industry’s allure are the higher-than-average median salary, freedom to work remotely, and opportunities to work on meaningful and impactful projects.
But while learning to code leads to a direct route into programming, it can also be a stepping stone to building other skills such as problem-solving and creative thinking. Coding skills can also give you the unique competitive advantage to further your career in non-programming jobs like data analysis, design, marketing, and project management.
The problem is that learning to code can often be a demanding task, especially if you’re a working professional, student, or parent. This is where Mimo, a mobile app built to make learning to code easy, quick, and fun, comes in.
Mimo is a mobile app that makes learning to code fun, quick, and easy with coding exercises, lessons, and playgrounds. Download the app for free and gain access to all the learning content or opt for a Pro subscription for more efficient learning.
Start learning to code with Mimo.What Is Mimo?
Mimo is a mobile app that allows users, who may have five to 10 minutes of downtime throughout their days, to redirect their attention to more meaningful pursuits—like learning an in-demand skill such as coding. Users can download the Mimo app from the App Store or Google Play at no cost. After downloading the app, users can immediately start learning to code.
“With Mimo, we wanted to build something that allows us to utilize these moments for something fun and meaningful. If our assumptions prove right, most people will use Mimo on the go—during train rides, while waiting, and other moments they have on a regular basis,” said Henry Ameseder, co-founder and COO of Mimo, during the launch of the app.
Aspiring developers with no tech or coding background will benefit most from the app as it breaks down coding basics into manageable tasks and exercises and provides immediate feedback. However, Mimo is also suitable for professionals who want to learn how to code to boost their career prospects.
Since the app’s release in 2016, more than 15 million users have downloaded Mimo. Today, the Mimo community is home to 10 million members actively helping and inspiring one another to learn to code.
How Does Mimo Coding App Work?
Your journey at Mimo begins with a short questionnaire to determine your learning goals and how much time you can devote to learning to code. You can identify yourself as a casual user who can spend five minutes a day on the app, for instance, or a serious user who can commit to 20 minutes of coding a day.
Whichever you choose, the goal is for you to build a daily habit of coding. So to keep you on track with your goal, the app has a built-in reminder functionality that will notify you when it’s time to code.
Bite-Size Exercises
There’s never a shortage of challenges you can take on with Mimo. The app has over 13,000 coding exercises categorized per skill level that vary from multiple-choice questions to creating a sample code. The more challenges you complete, the more complex the questions become. This gives you the chance to learn skills progressively.
If you get an answer wrong, you can choose to try again before seeing the right answer or opt to see the correct answer immediately. The quick feedback and opportunity to immediately try again builds confidence and familiarity with coding, starting from the first coding exercise.
Coding Lessons
Once inside the Mimo app, you will be guided through a user-friendly home section. Skills are displayed on different cards, and you can choose which programming language you’d like to learn on any given day. Your choices vary from Python and JavaScript to HTML, SQL, and CSS. You can also choose between a Web Development path or a Python path.
Each lesson begins with a short explanation on the theory behind the topic. For example, the topic “Discovering HTML and Tags” starts with the definition of HTML and what it’s for. After reading the description, users then move on to practice exercises. These start with a simple interactive code snippet that you must replicate, such as creating a button. Exercises become more complicated as the user moves through the lessons. Mimo also offers some advanced projects called “challenges” per section.
But, again, there’s no need to worry if you’re a complete beginner. Each code includes simple explanations and step-by-step instructions to walk you through the entire process.
A Gamified App
There’s nothing more encouraging than winning rewards, which is why you can earn rewards and collect coins and points every time you finish a coding exercise. The app also has a leaderboard where you can compete with fellow users and test your skills. This feature further adds the gamification effect to the app, doubling the fun of using Mimo.
Coding Playgrounds and Projects
Another unique highlight of the Mimo app is that it offers an integrated development environment (IDE) on your mobile phone. Mimo’s mobile-based IDE allows you to work on your coding projects without having to turn on a computer.
Here, you can practice on code playgrounds that enable you to experiment with examples, write, and run code. Users can also “remix” code playgrounds of other users and build something on top, giving them more opportunities to immediately apply what they learn.
Community
Mimo offers a forum where users can connect with one another in an inclusive and safe space. Users can ask for help, post questions, and create polls related to Mimo and coding. The app’s community is closely moderated by Mimo to ensure that users stay on-topic and posted content is beneficial for all users.
Mimo Pro
Mimo Pro is a subscription in the Mimo app that grants you access to extra features for a month or a year. These perks vary from unlimited hearts and playgrounds to certificates of completion, a monthly streak freeze, and ads-free learning. Mimo offers a free trial to its Pro subscription that can be canceled anytime.
Learn to Code with Mimo
Learning to code has several benefits, from developing skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity to improving your career prospects. And Mimo is making it easier for you to learn to code through its bite-sized exercises, coding playgrounds, and challenges, all of which you can clear within just a few minutes of every day. The best part? You can access most features for free, no matter your skill level.
Start learning to code on the go, and download the Mimo app here whether you’re an iOS or Android user.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.