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As a lifelong programmer that pursued programming even before I had a computer I am very biased here but... teaching people how to code at school is very empowe

As a lifelong programmer that pursued programming even before I had a computer I am very biased here but... teaching people how to code at school is very empowering because the devices they carry around with them and the servers they interact with are not magical in anyway, yet they seem that way if you don't understand the basics of how computers work and what a program looks like. For those who have not considered programming, being forced into it school may not be pleasant, but for many they may find it as delightful and fun as I do and we will bring more people into the programming community. The article tries hard to make it a bad thing that big computer companies want to be able to hire qualified staff in the future, but clearly it is not. Any country without programs that nurture young programmers and encourage them to pursue it as a career will be behind the rest of the world in software, which is not a place you want to be.

dangerbird2 9y ago
One reason I support "learn to code" initiative is that k-12 schools started introducing computers in the 80s when your Apple][, C64, BBC Micro, etc uses a BASIC interpreter as the core software operating system, learning to use a computer and learning to code were one and the same. It's extremely important for young people to understand that despite the shiny user experiences of modern devices, phones and computers today don't operate fundamentally differently than a 1980s IBM PC, or a 1960s IBM mainframe. This will help them prepare for when technology inevitably changes as they get older.
raducu 9y ago
I fully support teaching people to learn to code, IF they want to learn it. I studied programming since high school in an "intensive programming" classroom -- we had 5-7 hour of programming per week for 4 years. Out of ~25 students only 2 of us are coding for a living. We had a guy winning international competitions in high school programming and he's not coding for a living.

dangerbird2 9y ago

One reason I support "learn to code" initiative is that k-12 schools started introducing computers in the 80s when your Apple][, C64, BBC Micro, etc uses a BASIC interpreter as the core software operating system, learning to use a computer and learning to code were one and the same. It's extremely important for young people to understand that despite the shiny user experiences of modern devices, phones and computers today don't operate fundamentally differently than a 1980s IBM PC, or a 1960s IBM mainframe. This will help them prepare for when technology inevitably changes as they get older.

raducu 9y ago

I fully support teaching people to learn to code, IF they want to learn it. I studied programming since high school in an "intensive programming" classroom -- we had 5-7 hour of programming per week for 4 years. Out of ~25 students only 2 of us are coding for a living. We had a guy winning international competitions in high school programming and he's not coding for a living.