Minding the Geek Gap: Five Reasons You Should Get Coding!!!

Because the characters in my novels are transhuman, networked beings, in the course of my research for the eHuman Trilogy, I've come across all sorts of fantastic developments in science and technology. Following technology has become a part of my daily routine.

It has become very clear that the world is poised right now for a major technological breakthrough. There's no denying that we're going to cross over, one way or the other, into a fully networked society. In order to prepare for this eventuality, the BBC reports that England has updated their curriculum. Come September, a change to the curriculum means the study of computing - and specifically coding - will be mandatory across all state primary and secondary schools.

Just how this networked world will look is still uncertain. As I've written in my previous blogs I believe the future will be bright if and only if our best and most innovative humanists take part in the architecture of that world. That's why I encourage all humans who have an interest in determining the future to consider a career in software development.

Yes, that's what I said, ALL humans. Not just the young. Coding is like writing a novel, or taking up the guitar, you can begin at any time in your life. And not just the men, you too ladies. Look a little to the right and check out my profile picture. I'm a girl, through and through. Computers are for everyone, not just a select few.

True power today lies in information and data. Therefore those who know how to write the code to parse that data and make it useful are the ones who will shape the future. I'd say that knowing how to code is a must for everyone, ages 12 and up. Seriously, it's going to be more useful to know how to debug your singularity device than to have memorized the battle dates of the Civil War. Unfortunately, in a recent article in Mother Jones, I found this startling statistic about the AP exams taken by US students last year: 

"More than three times more students tested in human geography (114,000) than computer science (31,000). No knock against human geography, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics says 1.4 million new jobs in software engineering will be created between 2012 and 2022. At current rates of enrollment, just 30 percent of those jobs could be filled by US college grads majoring in computer science."

Current college enrollment will only fill 30% of those jobs? Can this be true?

When people talk about unemployment in America, this fact is often left out: Americans aren't even studying to fill our best jobs.

Why not? Why wouldn't we want to create the best software industry in the world? Who wouldn't want to have a career that shapes the future of our very existence? Okay America, consider this my call to arms:

Here are five reasons why you should consider visiting the Code Academy and begin programming right now!

1. You'll always have a job. I met a few recent college grads on New Year's Eve and none of them had yet to score a job. Zero. When I asked them what they majored in, all three said, "Business." The unemployment rate for all US workers in 2010 was 9.6%. That number was only 3.8% in the fields of software and engineering.

2. You'll always be well paid. 50% of all engineering employees in 2010 earned $73,290 or more. That's 2x's the average median income for the entire US workforce. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median income for software developers in 2012 was $90,060. and This is reason alone to at least investigate software design a bit further.

3. You'll always have plenty to do. Remember, 1.4 million tech jobs are about to be created in the next 10 years. And at current college enrollment, only 30% will be filled. That means there's a job out there for you.

4. You'll be welcome in almost any business sector. Imagine working to mine big data for the health industry and discovering the genetic disruptors for cancer, or designing a workforce of human service robots. Banking is looking for software engineers as well. Economic innovations like cryptocurrencies will reshape our future economic policies. Entertainment needs programmers for jobs such as CGI in movies, signal processing in the music industry, and story and technology design in video games. The "internet of things" demands that we be able to access this entertainment from any point in our homes, offices and cars. There isn't an industry that won't need programmers.

5. You can do it from anywhere! Have computer, will code. From the beaches of Tahiti to the coffee shops of Seattle, software can be written from the ease of your home office, where ever that may be. Not only is the pay great, but there's total flexibility as to where you work.

So, consider it. If you want a job that makes good money, is in high demand, totally creative and can be done in your pajamas, then look into a career in software.

Our future depends on it.