The majority of adults today either have no idea how to code (or only have some very basic self-taught skills) or they were only introduced to programming for the first time in college. There are so many benefits to learning the fundamentals of coding at a younger age, though. Here are three reasons why kids can benefit from learning how to code now.
We Need More Computer Science Majors
While no one is guaranteed a job right out of college, right now there are a lot more job openings for computer science majors than there are computer science graduates. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that this demand is going to grow even more over the next 7 years.
Introducing kids to coding now gives them the opportunity to see if computer science is something they’re interested in that they may want to pursue as a career. If they do go on to choose to major in computer science, they’ll have a lot more job opportunities available to them (and higher starting salaries) than many of their peers. Even for kids that decide to major in a different field, having programming skills is useful in many different careers and will give them an advantage when applying for jobs and moving up in their careers.
Coding Teaches Kids How to Problem Solve
Coding for kids is more than just creating apps and building websites — it revolves around problem solving. Whether you’re having to decide the best way to gather user information or how to make a game more challenging, every coding project involves problems that need to be solved. Then there’s always the debugging process. Even the most experienced programmers have code they have to debug, and solving those problems so the code runs without errors can be the most challenging part of coding!
Kids who learn to code can apply these problem solving skills to every subject in school, from solving math equations to deciding the best format for an English assignment. Kids who know how to problem solve not only do better in school, but they learn how to become independent because they can figure out answers and strategies on their own.
It’s Fun!
Ultimately, kids want to spend time doing things that are fun, and coding is definitely fun! Just by learning some fundamentals, they can start making their own online games, creating their own apps, and building their own websites about any topic they enjoy. To go from playing games and visiting websites to creating your own, especially as a kid, is pretty exciting.
Start Your Kids’ Coding Journey At Home
You don’t need to have programming experience to get your kids started learning the fundamentals of coding. CodeWizardsHQ offers coding classes for kids that can be taken from the comfort of home. Every class is taught by a live teacher where kids learn real world programming languages including Python, Javascript, HTML, and Java.
Classes are available for elementary, middle, and high school students and accelerated classes are available during the summer. High school students even have the opportunity to apply for a real world internship, working on a programming project for a nonprofit organization.
Whether you’re looking for a fun summer class for your child or an educational extracurricular activity during the school year, CodeWizardsHQ makes it easy for kids to start their coding journey.