Programming is quickly becoming a necessary skill set. Aside from the high demand for programmers worldwide, there are many more advantages of learning how to code. Coding teaches the value of determination and disciplined and creative thinking and is an integral part of our daily life.
According to Steve Case, Computer programming is a talent that more Americans should learn. He once said; Learning basic computer programming is the most incredible method to accomplish either, whether you want to be an entrepreneur and start a firm or you want to have a job when you graduate, at a time when our country is suffering from unemployment.
Learning a valuable skill like coding at a young age provides several advantages, including appropriately preparing a child for our more technologically dependent world. A few lines of code will fix some of the world’s most pressing problems now and in the future. Now we’ll look at some of the top child coders in history who went on to change the world. Here’s some inspiration whether you want to learn to program or if you want to get your kids interested.
Top 7 Child Coders of All Time
Some of the most well-known coders began their careers by learning at a young age and using their abilities to improve the lives of others around them, resulting in creating some of the products you use today. Here is the list child coders of all time who went on to change the world.
1. Bill Gates
Most of you are familiar with Bill Gates’ tale. The philanthropist, billionaire, and co-founder of Microsoft have had a significant impact on your life, helping to bring in a new era in computing. However, many people are unaware that Bill Gates began coding at a young age, captivated by how computers function.
In 1968, Bill Gates and his mates spent hours playing with the computer and studying the BASIC programming language. Gates missed most of his childhood studies to work on his first software, a tic-tac-toe game in which users compete against the computer. He would even take advantage of these machines to gain additional computer time. Bill Gates, now an adult, is one of the most outspoken advocates for coding education, computing, and developing technologies.
2. Mark Zuckerberg
Zuckerberg is an outspoken supporter of education and explicit coding. After his father taught him the Atari BASIC programming language when he was a child in the 1990s, the Facebook co-founder developed an interest and eventually hired software engineer David Newman to educate him privately.
The Facebook co-founder soon developed his skills to the point that he could make his computer games and, later, ZuckNet, a forerunner to AOL’s Instant Messenger, which allowed machines in his family network to connect. Mark Zuckerberg was a talented coder as a kid and an excellent fencer.
3. Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey, the former Twitter CEO’s early interests in railroads, towns, and maps sparked his interest in coding. Dorsey became fascinated with computers after his parents purchased him a Macintosh computer when he was eight years old. He went on to create maps on his laptop using software programming. He spent his adolescent years working in dispatch routing. The skilled developer came up with the idea that would eventually lead to the establishment of Twitter while at New York University.
4. Steve Wozniak
Wozniak, or ‘The Woz,’ as he is known, was an early coding pioneer. Apple Inc’s co-founder, like Gates, began coding in high school. He had learned coding to the point where the 19-year-old managed to hack into his college’s computer system and send hoax messages in 1969 (his first year at the University of Colorado Boulder). Woz’s expulsion from college didn’t stop him from continuing his coding career; seven years later, he invented the Apple I, the computer that began Apple. He was also the primary designer of the Apple II, one of the first mass-produced microcomputers, which debuted in 1977.
5. Daphne Koller
Daphne Koller became interested in coding at an early age, later using her love for computer science to advocate coding and online education. Coursera, an online network of courses curated and produced by Daphne Koller, renowned schools, was founded by an Israeli-American professor of computer science at Stanford University who was also a MacArthur Fellow. You may learn everything you need to know about coding and other construction skills in a variety of areas right here on the Coursera platform.
She has been outspoken on the importance of learning to code, regardless of one’s age. She has also argued that an online class might effectively raise awareness about any topic beyond geographical boundaries.
6. Danielle Feinberg
Some female coding students also began their coding studies early. Danielle Feinberg attended summer coding camps and after-school seminars for students interested in
computer programming. She subsequently moved to Harvard University, where she became interested in computer animation, earning a Bachelor of Arts in computer science before joining Pixar in 1997 as a technician in charge of data and photo libraries to render A Bug’s Life. Since then, she’s been in charge of visual effects, technical direction, and graphics projects. She mentors kids through groups like Girls Who Code to get them interested in STEM outside Pixar.
Danielle Feinberg is a cinematographer and director of lighting at Pixar Animation Studios, a computer animation film studio based in California. She was the lighting director for the Oscar-winning films WALL-E and Brave.
7. Radia Perlman
Radia Perlman is a software developer who developed the STP (Spanning-Tree Protocol), which is critical to the Internet’s functionality. Despite being the most outstanding student in science and math, Perlman did not contemplate a future in computers until she attended a programming class in high school. While studying at MIT, she took up an undergraduate research opportunity. She developed a child-friendly robotic language, TORTIS (Toddler’s Own Recursive Turtle Interpreter System). She made numerous significant contributions to network design and standardization, including developing link-state protocols. She’s also the creator of TRILL, a program that solves the problems with spanning trees. She is a computer programming pioneer with over 100 issued patents.
Why Start Coding At Young Age
The goal isn’t to have a little software engineer running around the house. There are many practical, real-world benefits to learning how to code, just as there are for adults interested in programming. To begin with, coding teaches kids how to solve problems over time, which is a skill that can be applied to any situation. Kids who learn to code will improve resilience, enhance their creative skills, and prepare themselves for a talent-driven industry. Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and robotics require a programmer’s touch. Not to mention, coding may be used for various creative purposes in the arts and design!