Literacy and Luck
For me, it started with literacy. Learning to read was a major moment in my life. I loved to read. I would read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was that kid that looked forward to my school’s summer reading list (I know, I know). Reading took me to new worlds, taught me more about my world, and ignited my imagination.
As I became a little older, I found myself interested in, and pretty good at (if I do say so myself) sports. I was introduced to the concept of sports literacy. Being able to comprehend and follow plays, ‘reading’ the defense, and so on. Sports became about more than just technique but also strategy and logic, and I enjoyed them even more.
Technology was an industry, a business. No one told me that it’s the ultimate toolkit that I could use it to solve MY problems.
And while technology was starting to become a part of our daily lives during my high school years, it wasn’t until college that I truly encountered and understood the concept of computer literacy. And suddenly the world was at my fingertips! But was it? I knew just enough to know what was out there and what technology could do, but I couldn’t harness it for myself. I couldn’t wrap my arms around it and bring it into my world. Technology was an industry, a business. No one told me that it’s the ultimate toolkit. That I could use it to solve MY problems. That I could use it to impact the issues that matter to me.
Sure, sure, I got the sales pitch. “Major in Computer Science. That’s where all the jobs are. You can make a great salary.” But what did that mean really? What would I be doing? Would I even like it? Yeah. There was no one in my world back then that would help me find the answer to that question, so I turned away from the technology industry and turned my coding skills and tech knowledge into a hobby.
But eventually that all changed. And the change came from the most unexpected place. Community. I was lucky enough to stumble across a bunch of individuals like me; that had the same revelation about technology as the ultimate tool but were unclear on where to go, how to learn more, and what we wanted to do. But together, just talking about our concerns, working on projects together, and sharing our connections, my life completely changed. With confidence, passion, and incredible excitement I jumped back into the technology arena.
To me, CodeNow is that living, breathing community. It exists to support, assist, and encourage those with curiosity. And I get to help create the experiences that help students find their paths and start their journey, with technology as a core component. I get to help them climb into the driver’s seat.
