How Anyone Can Learn to Code in 3 Simple Steps

Published in Software on Dec 27, 2018

I talked to a developer last week who has been teaching kids to code in an after school program.

His teaching secret?

Teach using this format: Motivate > Set a Goal > Work through the problem together.

Keep It Simple & Move Fast

I think it's a helpful starting place when the big, scary idea of "CODING" seems intimidating.

Start by understanding what you want to change in the world and why. (Motivation!)

Set a concrete goal of a small feature / slice of an application that would solve a problem — even if it's small and silly. (That's a goal!)

Then chip off a small piece of your day to work toward your achievable goal as quickly as possible. Rinse & repeat.

It's not a bulletproof way to learn code. (I mean... Is there a "right" way to learn?) But, I think it's a useful framework for biting off a quick win when someone's just dipping their toes in the water.