Why we believe what we do is cool: South Bend Code School Expansion
It’s official, South Bend Code School is expanding!
In the Fall, we’ll be in two new locations, Fort Wayne and Goshen, while still maintaining (and even expanding upon!) our current programming in the South Bend area. http://southbendcodeschool.com/files/expansion_release_2017.pdf
In the past two years, we have taught more than 120 students coding through our formal program and introduced over 600 youths to code through personal outreach efforts. This year, in particular, we get to celebrate 12 of our students earning paid-internships in technology and 14 students attending college this Fall. In our program, we teach high school aged students real world skills in web development. The youth and teens in Code School learn a fundamental JavaScript stack, build two websites and visit a major tech company. (You can learn more about our efforts and accomplishments in our two year report http://southbendcodeschool.com/files/two_yr_rpt.pdf)
Web Development is an excellent skill set that yields immediate results. In our classroom, one of my favorite moments is when a student writes their first line of code. We start off with the students changing the code to spell out their names because it places a sense of well-earned ownership and validation on the student. Often times, the significance of what they’re learning bypasses them. However, we want them to be proud of themselves and realize that not everyone is taking the time to do what they’re doing. Coding takes time to learn and can seem difficult; therefore, it is understandable why many people tend to shy away from coding/programming. However, our students are coming in every week, making the effort to learn how to code and bettering themselves. And for that, we are proud of them.
We often get asked what ‘type’ of student best fits into your class. This question is always ironic to me as if there are only a small few who have the ability to write code. People from all walks of life can learn to code. If I had to pick a core trait that lends itself to coding, I would say curiosity. Students who are curious in nature, not afraid to question things and always wanting to know why — why something works this time but didn’t work the next etc. With coding, you have to be curious in nature, not afraid to question things, and always wanting to know why — why something works this time but didn’t work the next etc.
We realize that not every student wants to be a developer as their lifelong career goal. However, the exposure to technology opens up a world of opportunities to them that they may not have considered before. We have students who have gone on to pursue things like starting their own tech business, interning in management training programs at tech companies, and going to college for IT management. These were all things students wouldn’t have thought they could pursue if they had not gone through a program that made them feel confident in their ability to work in tech.
Whichever path a student chooses to travel, coding (and technology as a whole) helps to bring thought to reality. We tell students, code is what you use to build your imagination. If you think of a solution to a problem, you can build it. If you think of a website, you can write it. If you think of a game you can make it. The list goes on. That is why coding is a powerful tool, and that is why we look forward to continuing to expand our program to other rust belt cities.
To enroll your student in one of our programs, please visit: http://southbendcodeschool.com/courses
