Have you ever tried one of the “addict-o games” like Flappy Bird, Angry Birds, Candy Crush, etc.? Come on, you can admit it. Most of us have spent hours playing these fun, but mindless, games.
Mobile games are on the same par as TV sitcoms when it comes to intellectual stimulation. There’s nothing useful to be gained from either. So why do we allow ourselves to spend countless hours watching ridiculous TV shows and playing meaningless mobile games?
More important, why do we allow our children to use their time this way?
Fortunately, not everyone spends their time this way.
Take Lucas Garvin who graduated high school in Savannah “way back” (his words, not mine) in 2013. Lucas developed his first website at age 10. Now he serves as CEO and co-founder of Visify, a digital marketing and design agency with offices in New York City and Savannah.
I know kids can program because I recently met an eighth-grade student at Bartlett STEM academy who announced he had developed five mobile games. In the same breath he shared his commitment to attending Stanford University. I have no doubt he will achieve his dreams.
Pretty heady stuff for teenagers. Obviously these youngsters have been doing more with their time than playing Angry Birds.
So, are these two kids teenage geniuses? Probably, but not necessarily. More than likely they were more interested in learning how things worked than they were in reaching Level Five. So they took the time to learn something useful, computer coding.
Patrick Bentley is so convinced of the ability of youngsters to learn programming that he is launching the Urban STEM academy for the advancement of computer technology, innovation and programming for underprivileged children.
Most people learn to code from a book or a public website. If you have access to a library or the Internet, all you need is motivation and a good attitude. Tynker (www.tynker.com), CoderDojo (www.coderdojo.com) and CodeAcademy (www.codeadcademy.com) are just a few great coding resources to get started.
Free after-school curricula are only an easy download away. Great careers and jobs are waiting.
There is no need to delay.
In December, a New York City homeless person who chose three books and Javascript tutoring over $100 cash built and launched “Trees for Cars,” a mobile carpooling app that connects drivers and riders.
In my home, thirty minutes on CodeAcademy “earned” my eight-year-old 15 minutes of Flappy Bird. That was an early motivator, but even an eight-year-old recognized the fun of personal achievement and growth over a fleeting chance at a losing game.
Local technology enthusiast Jason Rich reminds us that hardware can be as fun as software.
“Growing up, my favorite hobby was inventing and building electronic circuits,” he says.
Now an electrical engineer and entrepreneur, Jason has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his XplorerBoard, a modern day DIY electronics kit featuring Arduino, a popular microcontroller. Jason’s XplorerBoard allows users to learn basic computer code to control hardware projects and includes a multitude of components that allow users to create just about any electronics project they can dream up.
So what’s my point? Learning to code is one avenue to economic success, for individuals as well as our local community. For example, six high-paying positions for programmers are posted on The Creative Coast jobs board. And these positions are going unfilled.
The Creative Coast is doing its part to make positive things happen. We have joined with Armstrong Atlantic State University and Georgia Southern University to host three free “intro to programming” events in less than a year, all of which have been standing room only.
These “RailsBridge” workshops focus on increasing diversity in the technology field so that people of all backgrounds can feel welcome and comfortable pursuing it as a career.
Imagine the possibilities for you and your family when you become part of the “in demand” workforce of technical skills. There is no telling how many additional opportunities you could tap or even new jobs that could be created with the right technical backbone.
Skills in Javascript, HTML, CSS, PHP, etc. are highly desirable. And high paying. There are many programming job opportunities right here in Savannah and others can be remote. For example, GitHub, the San Francisco based code management collaboration tool has three or four employees located in Savannah.
So, let’s get started.
Bea Wray is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Bea can be reached at 912-447-8457 or bea@thecreativecoast.org.