When it comes to coding there are so many options. How does a parent sort through it all?
We turned to programmer parents on Hacker News, Reddit and Facebook in Tech, Parenting and Homeschooling groups to find out their favorite resources for teaching their kids to code, and why.
In this post we’ll discuss
Whether learning to code still matters
The best coding resources for kids in 10 categories (from apps to online and in-person classes)
Share some of the top suggestions from parents in tech on how to teach your child to code (whether you’re a developer yourself or not)
Does learning to code matter?
Coding was the hot job of the nineties, but despite the shortage of qualified developers, it’s no longer a sure-fire path to a lucrative career. Tech companies are laying off programmers. Many tech jobs are being outsourced abroad, and some speculate that AI will take over many coding tasks.
We turned to developers all over the internet to ask if parents should still consider teaching their kids to code.
Here’s what we found:
Passion is Key
What’s most key is passion for coding. A programmer who loves to code is excited to learn, grow and adapt to new technology. Their skills will always be sought after.
Coding spills into other careers
Coding teaches critical thinking, innovation, systems thinking and problem solving. The value extends way beyond getting a career in tech.
In many ways, learning to code is like learning a language, and that language will be used more and more in our increasingly digital world.
Some developers suggested nearly every industry will require some knowledge of coding in the future. Fields where people are leveraging coding skills include artists, designers, medicine, and scientists.
AI won’t eliminate the need to code
While AI is shaping the world, someone will need to interface with the AI. AI is still very weak at coding, and it’s probable AI will create more jobs than it destroys.
Tech fields like Cybersecurity, Network infrastructure and Data analysis will remain highly relevant and require workers with knowledge of coding.
Your kid doesn’t have to learn to code
With the growing centenarian populations, jobs like home health care are also on the rise. As previously unpaid or under-compensated work begins to be compensated, fields like childcare, early-childhood education, cleaning, cooking, and gardening will grow.
Overall, McKinsey predicts the professions seeing the greatest growth across all countries include healthcare providers, engineers, scientists, accountants, analysts, educators, managers, executives, construction workers, as well as service workers.
Your child doesn’t need to learn to code NOW.
Many highly successful, impactful developers taught themselves code later in life. What’s more important than learning to write code is knowing how to learn, apply systems thinking and critical analysis. Forcing a child to learn a skill too early can turn them off to it altogether, and for life - or even worse, encourage a negative view about learning in general.
If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that no one knows what the future of work would be. Our advice: don’t teach your child to code to prepare them for a lucrative career. Teach them to code if they enjoy it and to develop the drive and plasticity to learn any skill the future may ask them to learn.
And now, the recs…
If passion for coding is what matters most, then choosing the right learning tool to inspire that passion is key. We’ve done a deep dive on the best apps, book and curriculum to teach your kids to code, whether you’re a developer or not.
Without further ado, here are our top recommendations in 10 categories.
Top 10 Coding Programs for Kids
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