Today is Monday, which means I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my next Code Year lesson in my e-mail inbox. OK, so my life is not that exciting. But my sole purpose today is to convince readers to give Code Year a try and see if they can garner some valuable skills to help them deal with our computer overlords in the future.
I first learned about Code Year via this Slate article by Farhad Manjoo on January 4th. Intrigued, I decided to sign up. Ever since then, I happily click on the link that arrives in my inbox on Monday afternoon and spend a few hours (or on some occasions, a day or two) excitedly or frustratingly learning JavaScript. And that is the essence of Code Year. It is a brilliant idea by the people at Codeacademy, a startup that designs innovative web tutorials, to teach people the basics of programming so that they can get in step with the 21st century. After all, we all use computer programs. Isn't it about time we learnt how they worked?
I am not a computer whiz but I can fix most problems with some assiduous Google searches and the confidence borne out of a lifelong familiarity with computers. But like most people, I have been marvelously content to take programming for granted. When a website asks me to enter in some information or performs a calculation, I have no need to know what code it is using to execute these functions. The end-result is all that matters, the inner workings are a mystery. But now Codeacademy is demystifying those inner workings and giving you the chance to enter the digital age. Through their tutorials, they aim to teach you how to code and make your computer run all those behind-the-scenes programs. Because in this day and age, JavaScript and other computer languages are just as important as English or Mandarin.
I've already professed my love for learning new languages, like when I started learning Welsh. Perhaps it makes sense that Code Year came about at a time when I had just finished my Welsh course and needed a new project. But while Welsh is a fun skill that I will almost never use, programming is a deadly useful skill that is practically a necessity. Ours is a world that is completely run by computers, and knowing how to "talk" to them is quickly becoming an essential skill that could help you in a variety of ways. In my blog post about Say Something in Welsh, I jokingly said that at the very least a knowledge of Welsh would be an interesting factoid on your resume. Well, if you say you know JavaScript, that resume's going to positively sparkle.
Today is the 6th week of Code Year, which means there is plenty of time for you to sign up and get caught up with all the lessons. Some lessons go by in a flash, while others have more of a learning curve, but the tutorials are methodical and wonderful. They also keep improving every week as the people in charge carefully consider user input and ensure that they review topics as needed. I've enjoyed the lessons tremendously and love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I successfully construct an object, declare a variable, or program a rudimentary blackjack game. I can already talk semi-knowledgeably (or half-assedly if you tend towards sarcasm) about ternary operators, bracket notation, and object-oriented programming, topics that were utterly alien to me in 2011.
By now you have probably given up on a ton of New Year's Resolutions. So why not take up a new resolution that will serve you well in 2012 and head on over to Code Year? It might be the smartest thing you do all year.
I first learned about Code Year via this Slate article by Farhad Manjoo on January 4th. Intrigued, I decided to sign up. Ever since then, I happily click on the link that arrives in my inbox on Monday afternoon and spend a few hours (or on some occasions, a day or two) excitedly or frustratingly learning JavaScript. And that is the essence of Code Year. It is a brilliant idea by the people at Codeacademy, a startup that designs innovative web tutorials, to teach people the basics of programming so that they can get in step with the 21st century. After all, we all use computer programs. Isn't it about time we learnt how they worked?
I am not a computer whiz but I can fix most problems with some assiduous Google searches and the confidence borne out of a lifelong familiarity with computers. But like most people, I have been marvelously content to take programming for granted. When a website asks me to enter in some information or performs a calculation, I have no need to know what code it is using to execute these functions. The end-result is all that matters, the inner workings are a mystery. But now Codeacademy is demystifying those inner workings and giving you the chance to enter the digital age. Through their tutorials, they aim to teach you how to code and make your computer run all those behind-the-scenes programs. Because in this day and age, JavaScript and other computer languages are just as important as English or Mandarin.
I've already professed my love for learning new languages, like when I started learning Welsh. Perhaps it makes sense that Code Year came about at a time when I had just finished my Welsh course and needed a new project. But while Welsh is a fun skill that I will almost never use, programming is a deadly useful skill that is practically a necessity. Ours is a world that is completely run by computers, and knowing how to "talk" to them is quickly becoming an essential skill that could help you in a variety of ways. In my blog post about Say Something in Welsh, I jokingly said that at the very least a knowledge of Welsh would be an interesting factoid on your resume. Well, if you say you know JavaScript, that resume's going to positively sparkle.
Today is the 6th week of Code Year, which means there is plenty of time for you to sign up and get caught up with all the lessons. Some lessons go by in a flash, while others have more of a learning curve, but the tutorials are methodical and wonderful. They also keep improving every week as the people in charge carefully consider user input and ensure that they review topics as needed. I've enjoyed the lessons tremendously and love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I successfully construct an object, declare a variable, or program a rudimentary blackjack game. I can already talk semi-knowledgeably (or half-assedly if you tend towards sarcasm) about ternary operators, bracket notation, and object-oriented programming, topics that were utterly alien to me in 2011.
By now you have probably given up on a ton of New Year's Resolutions. So why not take up a new resolution that will serve you well in 2012 and head on over to Code Year? It might be the smartest thing you do all year.
No comments:
Post a Comment