For anyone who works online, trying to explain how you make a living without leaving the comfort of your house is difficult. It is mainly a challenge convincing the older generation that you are not a hacker. To them, the only way you can make an honest living is by holding down a 9-5 job and donning formal wear, not working in your pajamas.
If explaining online freelancing is that hard, imagine being a programmer, and someone asks what your job entails. There are very few programmers; this fact has colored most people’s opinions because they now think coding is complex and should be left to geniuses. Besides, some wonder why they should learn how to code when their chosen career paths do not involve computers. For children, television and social media have significantly influenced the careers they want to take, so it should not come as a surprise that most want to be musicians, dancers, or social media influencers.
Rarely will you hear a kid who looks up to a programmer, yet the future of coding is highly dependent on the young generation. You can ensure that your kid is well prepared for the digital job market by following these tips to get them interested in coding. Who knows, the next Bill Gates could be under your roof.
Arouse Their Curiosity
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but in this instance, it will mold your child into knowing that there is nothing impossible if they put their mind to it. It is up to us to arouse our kids’ interests in every area because the more they explore their options, the more they realize their career choices are not limited to certain professions. If your child can dream about performing open-heart surgery, why not let them know that programming is also theirs for their taking.
Of course, trying to convince your five-year-old that learning how to code will get them a lucrative job is not the way to go about it. Remember, to a child, a dollar might as well be a billion dollars because they are yet to understand the concept of quantity and its implications. One way to arouse curiosity could be letting them know that coding can help them get their toys to do different things. Once your kid learns basic commands and sees what they can do, they will be thirsty for more, and drinking from the fountain of discovery will quench their thirst.
Introduce It Early
Kindergarten and elementary school are vital to influencing the next generation of tech-professionals by igniting their interest in STEM early. They say you should teach your children the path to follow and when older they will never depart from it. Young minds are easy to mold, and even experts recommend teaching your child new languages before they are seven because they have few inhibitions. It is no wonder the period between birth and age seven is called the window of opportunity.
Since programming is all about learning computer languages, you can take advantage of this window of opportunity by teaching your kids to code as early as possible. The younger they are, the more fun coding should be; therefore, you can begin with Scratch and similar languages. When they are older, you can introduce more complex coding languages. Starting early also enables you to break the stereotype surrounding computer science, especially for girls, given the gender disparity in computing. In the United States, only 18% of computer science bachelor degrees are awarded to women.
Integrate It with Their Passion
Doing something with passion makes it much more exciting because no one is forcing you. If you can blend coding with something your child loves, you will start a coding journey they never want to come to an end. A kid took up coding because he loved video games and wanted to make his own video games. Another kid, passionate about noble causes, wanted to educate others about refugees and climate change through fun games. Whatever your kid is interested in, the possibilities that coding provides are endless and competitive kids can put their skills to the test in a nationwide coding contest every year.
Learning to code is more than just about securing a job; you want to prepare your children with the resilience that comes with solving complex problems. You are equipping them with a life skill that lets them think outside the box and makes them believe that everything is within their grasp. For young girls, piquing their interest in coding lays the foundation for them to break through the glass ceiling.
All the same, coding is not for everyone, so you should not be pushy. However, technology is here to stay, and it affects your life in one way or another. Therefore, you can prepare your child to embrace technology by learning all there is to it on Techno Nutty.
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