Dear D. Marshall Lemcoe Jr., When I started high school I rebelled against by brick-and-mortar entrepreneur parents by going into tech and teaching myself how

Dear D. Marshall Lemcoe Jr., When I started high school I rebelled against by brick-and-mortar entrepreneur parents by going into tech and teaching myself how to code. I was volunteering at internet cafes, because my family considered computers expensive toys and I was making an average worker's monthly salary in a couple of days by coding after hours. Even my highly respected grandparents suggested I should go into a "reputable career instead". That was 15 years ago. Since then my work has been used by millions of people and I have been able to amplify the impact of my time far beyond what I could have ever done with two hands and a brain in the same amount of time in a reputable profession. "Coding" is no more a forced skill than learning how to write. It is a form of literacy. If you have it, you have choices and access to reach and change the world if you need to. Without it, you are limited to your location, means, and circumstances in what you can do with your time. If you ever need a slap-in-your face moment 10 years from now, feel free to re-read your blog post.