Code Year

Last year I came to a bit of a realisation regarding technology. It wasn’t due to one thing, but more of one of those gradually creeping ideas that finally crystallises into an ‘aha’ moment one day.

It was the realisation that the reason technology has so much control over the lives of so many of us is that we don’t know how it works. I’m not talking about not knowing how a DVD player works (which I don’t) or even not knowing how a car works (I still don’t despite my husband explain it to me dozens of times). I mean technology as in the systems that have an impact on our lives: the code that now runs so much that we do. The websites and the IT systems that seem to be a part of just about everything.

Image from flickr - Justonlysteve

So I thought that it would be very important for Willem to learn code. Don’t get me wrong, it would probably be a good idea for me to learn a bit about it – as well as the big issue ‘if we don’t know how to work the system it will work us’ issues, I am sick of feeling like an idiot every time I try to do something with this website. But the reason I want Willem to learn code is that I think modern life is going to become more  and more about the structure, the system, the programming: the people who understand that are the people who are going to be able to navigate our future (unless of course the Zombocalypse comes are we are left without Information Technology, but don’t worry, I am teaching him the relevant skills for that eventuality too.*)

I had looked at a few things – Raspberry Pi, Scratch – but not done much about it. Then I read a tweet from Ben Goldacre about Code Year (who says twitter is not worth the time?)

I clicked, I saw, I realised this is exactly what I am looking for.

Make your New Year’s resolution learning to code.
Sign up on Code Year to get a new interactive programming lesson sent to you each week and you’ll be building apps
and web sites before you know it.

This is exactly the kind of thing I had been looking for, without realising it exists! (I have even been to the website to start a little early because I couldn’t help myself …) I am so excited for two reasons:

1. This really is what I was looking for – a programme to teach code to complete know-nothings like me, and hopefully bright kids
2. The weird serendipity of it all

I haven’t started the course at all, so I can’t really endorse it, but frankly it looks great, so if you have been thinking about learning code but haven’t quite figured out how to do it, maybe you could come and join me (and a heck of other people) this year.

*Don’t worry, I am only kidding. Kind of …