This week marks the last – and in all likelihood last – event of National Coding Week.
Launched in 2014 by Richard Rolfe to encourage people to learn more about the subject or try their hand at writing computer code, it seems the annual, volunteer-run event will not last beyond its founder’s upcoming retirement.
“Let’s make 2022 a great year for National Coding Week and end it on a high note,” read the deregistration on the event’s website.
In the meantime, the demand for coding will surely only increase. Back in 2016, a report by the government’s Skills Funding Agency predicted that 90% of all jobs would require digital skills within two decades.
This fact is rather at odds with the overwhelmingly high proportion of workers – even those in their late 20s who are relatively new to the labor market – who have not been taught coding as part of the national school curriculum.
A man with a special interest in this topic is Dr. Rongzhong Li, the founder and CEO of Petoi, whose easily programmable robotic dogs and cats have been sold to more than 60 countries.
You may also like: Recoding Education – Why Now Is the Time for Change
“Many adults who don’t have a technical background are intimidated by the prospect of programming,” says Dr. Li. “And yes, while it takes focus and dedication, anyone can learn programming at a fundamental level, and in fact it can be fun and rewarding.”
In order to keep up with the demands of an increasingly technical working world, Dr. Li that all adults should learn the basics of programming.
To that end, and in time for National Coding Week, he’s compiled a list of five tips for aspiring learners:
- Brush up on your math skills “Mathematics is fundamental to every field of science and engineering,” says Dr. Li. You can find a free course at Learndirect.
- Think like a computer “Computational thinking is the ability to think like a computer and automate tedious tasks to increase productivity.” Li advises that kids can learn such skills by playing with the drag-and-drop programming environment Scratch, while adults can do the same with MIT App Inventor.
- Learn the language Once drag-and-drop programming is learned, Dr. Li, the next step is to learn popular programming languages like Python and C++ using free platforms like Code Academy.
- Get into physics Because not all coding is screen-based. In robotics, for example, humans need to understand the physics of robots that move in three dimensions. dr Li recommends building motorized Lego objects to understand the process.
- make it fun “When coding is fun and enjoyable, it helps you stick with it. Whether you want to program your own robotic cat or dog, car or arcade machine, there is something for everyone.”
National Coding Week takes place from September 19th to 25th. For further information, click here.
