Communications of the ACM
Computer Coding: Not For Geeks Only
Credit: Willity
A growing number of people agree that everyone, not just technologists, should understand how software is made. Designers, economists, doctors, and others are embracing coding as a way to advance their careers, automate boring tasks, or just a means of self-improvement. And they have access to an expanding universe of free online coding tutorials from startups and universities.
Programming is becoming "a much more fundamental piece of knowledge, similar to reading or writing," says Andy Weissman, a partner at New York's Union Square Venures, which led a $2.5 million investment round for Codecademy, a site that teaches people basic programming skills.
The number of college students pursuing computer science degrees is rising, and a larger number of people are accessing new resources like Codecademy, which offers free interactive tutorials that guide people as they write and test lines of JavaScript code directly in their browser windows. "We wanted to mirror the experience of what developers go through, learning by doing," says Codecademy's Zach Sims.
On Jan. 1, Codecademy put up a Web page urging people to make learning to code their New Year’s resolution. As of Jan. 24, over 360,000 people had signed the pledge.
From Bloomberg Businessweek
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