Programming Literacy
Why Every Kid Should Learn to Code
There’s a new documentary film in production — one that could reshape America’s future and inspire a new generation of creative kids.
When @JS_Cheerleader asked me to host her documentary film, I wasn’t sure I’d do it justice, but the themes of the film resonate so powerfully with me, I felt like I needed to tell this story.
“Programming Literacy” will break your heart. It will show you two possible futures: One full of pain and suffering, and one full of creativity and joy. We are making the choice right now about which future our children will inherit, and we’re making the wrong choice.
Over the course of the next 20–30 years, 45% of the jobs we have today will be replaced by automation — code and robots. Have your doubts? Consider that Google’s self-driving cars already have better driving records than we do. 25 years from now, 4 million driving jobs will be gone. That’s just one industry.
In 25 years, a human driving a car
will look like a horse pulling a buggy.
If you think that’s the only example, think again. Other jobs at risk? Insurance and loan underwriting, property valuation, sanitization, medical diagnostics, aviation, even skills once thought of as uniquely human such as music composition and visual design are coming under fire from stronger AI.
Thankfully, most jobs will be replaced by more productive, higher-paying jobs. But we’re not training our kids for them. According to Code.org, 9 out of 10 US schools don’t offer computer science courses. In an economy built on and driven by code, we’re raising kids who will be effectively illiterate. What will their future look like?
Right now around the world, those who can’t read and write earn roughly 25% as much as those who can. In America, those who know how to code earn roughly twice as much as those who don’t.
Over the course of the next two decades, robots and AI will reduce demand for human labor in the job market, and millions of jobs will start to demand computer science skills. This trend is already well underway. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, right now, there is a standing demand for hundreds of thousands of computer programmers in the United States, and the demand is growing 20% year over year. By 2020, there will be more than one million unfilled computer programming jobs.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that everybody should spend most of their career programming computers, but here’s the thing: No matter what career path your child follows, knowing how to program computers will help tremendously.
Computers are the new paper and ink. Understanding how they work opens access to far more expressive power: The ability to communicate. The ability to persuade. The ability to sell. The more we rely on technology, the more we’ll need it to accomplish basic production and business transactions.
Want to get a job as an artist? If your primary medium is canvas and paint, you may have a hard road, but if you know Adobe Illustrator, you’ve got a really good chance of getting hired. If you’re an artist who knows how to code, you’ve got a good chance of getting hired for 2–3x the national average salary making computer games, advertisements, film, or television.
Want a job in music? If you play guitar, you can tour for years and never make any real money, but if you can produce music software, I know four music-related companies off the top of my head hiring software developers right now who will earn six-figure salaries. Even mainstream pop musicians are building custom apps to rake in more money.
From Tiësto and Deadmau5 to Blink 182 and even Crosby, Stills, and Nash, musicians are turning to software developers to connect better with their fans. Jared Leto, Nas, and Snoop Dog invest in software startups, and Dr Dre became the first rap billionaire by selling Beats to Apple.
Teaching kids to code teaches them
how to solve all kinds of problems.
When I was very young, just old enough to read and write, I learned how to program computers so that I could make my own text adventure games. In the process, I learned how to read and write better because I was actively engaging with the books that teach kids how to code. I couldn’t get anything done unless I really understood what the book was saying.
By the time I was in third grade, I was reading and writing at a college level. By the time I got to my first algebra class in school, I’d already been practicing algebra for years. You can’t get very far in programming without learning how variables work.
The first time I saw anything about the rules of logic in a class, I was in high school. I already had years of practice with logic operators, and I’d even written a simple XOR encryption program to trade secret love notes with my girlfriend.
Yes. I had a girlfriend. The notion that only nerds program computers is a relic. Those so called nerds (who generally prefer the term geeks) are literally running the world. The global economy depends heavily on the software infrastructure that geeks created, and that guy who got picked on in high school? He’s making six figures, raising a beautiful family, and sometimes telecommuting from the beach. Who’s laughing now?
Like reading and writing, we need to see programming as a civil right. Everybody should share equally in the opportunity to benefit from the digital economy. That can’t happen if only the rich schools have robot soccer tournaments.
How cool would it be if your kids got to learn how to build the future by blasting self-flying drones out of the sky with robotic nerf rocket launchers? Programming is fun!
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of accomplishment the first time you write a program that tells a robot how to move, or a program that draws something beautiful on the screen, or a program that turns your web browser into the ultimate guitar effects pedalboard.
Programming courses boost enthusiasm for learning, self esteem, problem solving, logic, math, and collaboration skills, — all of which will help your child succeed no matter what they decide to do next. That’s the bright future our kids could have in store. It’s already reality for a lucky few.
Sadly, those inspiring images in American classrooms are far too rare. In most classes, our idea of math isn’t plotting captivating vector transforms to a screen. It’s memorizing times tables from a flat, lifeless book full of word problems about truck stops and fuel.
Today’s reality is far more bleak. Ironically, nowhere is this more visible than in San Francisco — the heart of America’s tech boom. In San Francisco, the attraction of the tech community coupled with limited living space has created a real-world miniature of our possible dystopian future: a world where an elite class of software developers reap ever-increasing salaries while those who don’t code are driven deeper and deeper toward the poverty line — and below it.
San Francisco’s homeless problem is impossible to ignore. At any given moment, there are thousands of homeless people on the streets. It’s virtually impossible to afford rent in San Francisco on an average salary. It’s common to share small apartments with four or five roommates.
Meanwhile, companies scour the entire planet looking for qualified software developers to fill the relentlessly growing demand. It’s time for a change.
“Programming Literacy” shows how software helps us do more of the things we love to do, like play, explore, and create, and less of the things we hate, like clean, assemble parts, and drive in rush hour traffic.
The film celebrates technology, and warns of the danger of burying our heads in the sand. It counters the antiquated notion that only an elite few have the aptitude to code with case after case of great examples.
Since we started this work, many people have come out of the woodwork to tell us inspiring stories about kids learning to code and make robots, or learning to code to escape homelessness and build a rewarding life, engaged with housed society.
The truth is, anybody can learn to code. It’s not some arcane science requiring an expensive college degree. It’s a skill that can be taught in as little as five months to anybody with the desire to learn.
In 2008, I lost everything when the stock market collapsed. I was penniless and couch surfing with friends. Programming turned that around for me, and I’ve made it my personal mission to teach others how to code.
This week, the Sundance Film Festival is kicking off in Park City, Utah, and “Programming Literacy” is kicking production into high gear in a series of interviews with top executives from some of the hottest tech companies, along with high profile entertainers and filmmakers.
We’ll be speaking with Bill Scott (VP, Business Engineering, Product Development at PayPal), Rus Yusupov (Co-Founder, Creative Director at Vine), Hayes Metzger (CEO at Brandcast), Jonny Polonsky (Singer, Songwriter, Guitar Player), Starkillers & Dmitry KO (Dance Music Producers / DJs), Malcolm Barret (Actor, Rapper), and others. And this is just the first week.
It’s time to make a movie that really matters. Come along with me, and I’ll introduce you to techies at the top of their game, kids learning to code, people who code to create amazing works of art, and people trying to use programming as a way out of poverty.
Programming Literacy: This is personal.
Watch the trailer and sign up to receive regular updates on our progress.
You can learn to make amazing apps in as little as 5 months: “Learn JavaScript with Eric Elliott”
JS_Cheerleader has interviewed the brightest stars at Sundance, worked on many national television shows, and recently won the hearts of tech scene insiders as a JavaScript evangelist, connector, and opportunity creator.
Eric Elliott is the author of “Programming JavaScript Applications” (O’Reilly). He has contributed to software experiences for Adobe Systems, Zumba Fitness, The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, BBC, and top recording artists including Usher, Frank Ocean, Metallica, and many more.
