15 Reasons Why We Should Teach Our Kids To Code
have put together an awesome list of quotes by some pretty influential people about kids and why they should learn to code. We thought it was worth sharing.
1. Teaches you how to think
"I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think."
— STEVE JOBS, THE LOST INTERVIEW
2. Achieve your dreams
"If you can program a computer, you can achieve your dreams. A computer doesn't care about your family background, your gender, just that you know how to code. But we're only teaching it in a small handful of schools, why?"
Dick Costolo - CEO,
3. We need talent
"Our policy at Facebook is literally to hire as many talented engineers as we can find. There just aren't enough people who are trained and have these skills today."
Mark Zuckerberg - Founder,
4. You won't be left behind
"One hundred years ago, people were faced with the choice of learning to read or remaining illiterate laborers who would be left behind as have-nots in a rapidly modernizing world. In the coming century, being able to command the world that will be thoroughly computerized will set apart those who can live successfully in the future from those who will be utterly left behind."
Yishan Wong - CEO
5. Gives you superpowers
"I believe technology should give us superpowers. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn to think, analyze, and create with technology."
Hilary Mason - Chief Scientist,
6. Unlock creativity and open doors
"Every student deserves the opportunity to learn computer programming. Coding can unlock creativity and open doors for an entire generation of American students. We need more coders -- not just in the tech industry, but in every industry."
Mark Pincus - CEO and Founder,
7. Coding is the new literacy
"Code has become the 4th literacy. Everyone needs to know how our digital world works, not just engineers."
Mark Surman - Executive Director,
8. Prepare for the future
"To prepare humanity for the next 100 years, we need more of our children to learn computer programming skills, regardless of their future profession. Along with reading and writing, the ability to program is going to define what an educated person is."
Salman Khan - Founder,
9. Need for diversity and multiple perspectives
"We must work diligently to democratize computer science learning so that no group is denied access to this fundamental knowledge. Not only is this an issue of civil rights, but computer science as a field desperately needs diverse and multiple perspectives."
- Senior Researcher and Author, UCLA
10. We all depend on technology
"We ALL depend on technology to communicate, to a bank, and none of us know how to read and write code. It's important for these kids, right now, starting at 8 years old, to read and write code."
- Musician/The Black Eyed Peas and Entrepreneur
11. Think about thinking
"Programming allows you to think about thinking, and while debugging you learn to learn."
Nicholas Negroponte - Founder and Chairman Emeritus of
12. Be creative, problem solve and learn teamwork
"Are you creative? Do you love problem-solving? Is teamwork a strength? Do you want to have the power to change the world? If "yes" to all of these, then computer science - programming - is for you!"
13. Feel empowered, gain confidence
"Learning to code makes kids feel empowered, creative, and confident. If we want our young women to retain these traits into adulthood, a great option is to expose them to computer programming in their youth."
Susan Wojcicki - Senior Vice President,
14. It's a necessary 21st century skill
"All of the today’s kids will need—along with reading, writing, and arithmetic—a basic understanding of computation and the role that it plays across a wide range of disciplines. Coding is engaging and empowering. It’s a necessary 21st Century skill."
Jan Cuny - Program Officer,
15. Help humanity
"I think if someone had told me that software is really about humanity, that it's really about helping people by using computer technology, it would have changed my outlook a lot earlier."
Vanessa Hurst - Co-founder,
About Code Camp
Code Camp is on a mission to empower kids to create anything they can imagine, and to inspire 200,000 Australian tech superheroes by 2020!