This week’s Digital Savant column is all about coding: what is it, who’s learning to do it and is it a skill that anyone can pick up?
Coding, commonly another word for “Programming” has been around a long time, but in recent years, Austin has exploded with coding schools, meetups and programs aimed at students to pick up the skill, whether it’s to create mobile apps or to simply gain the fundamentals for critical thinking.
Here's an excerpt from the column, which ran in Tuesday's print edition of the American-Statesman and which you can find on MyStatesman.com.
But there are benefits to the learning itself that go beyond the creation of apps or getting a job in tech, Girlstart's Tamara Hudgins said.
"Coding is important because it fosters logical and critical thinking," she said. "Regardless of what a child does when they get into high school and college, we can all benefit by using logic to help us understand the world around us."
At a recent speaking engagement at Texas State University, tech luminary and professor Bob Metcalfe, who co-invented Ethernet and founded 3Com, said, "Coding is a fruit of civilization. By knowing it, you think better."
You can read the full column here and weigh in on whether coding is a skill everyone should learn or if emphasizing these skills is sending the wrong message to those who aren't seeking a career in tech.
You can also find a blog post I wrote a while back listing many of the women in tech meetups in Austin, many of which offer classes for coding.
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