After my last post you’re completely convinced about why we should be getting kids in to IT, but why should a lowly, humble software engineer (me!) be taking an active role in doing it? Isn’t that what schools are for?!

Providing a Real World View

I didn’t want to work in IT. Computer Science was my backup choice at university, messing up my A Levels meant I couldn’t get in to my first choice and I cried on the phone to my sister before starting because I didn’t want to do computing.

Computing in school meant working with Excel and creating PowerPoint presentations or answering exam questions on why it’s a bad idea to keep a floppy disk in your back pocket [true story], and I didn’t want to do more of that. I started the course anyway [while taking an A Level in my first choice] and discovered how fantastically wrong I’d been.

I found out that it was actually a course where I was learning to do creative things that gave me control over the computer rather than just using it via the programs that were presented to me. Several modules involved group projects that meant much more teamwork that corrected my cliched view of a lonely developer who never interacted with other humans.

I loved it. It was fun, creative, modern, social and I quickly gave up the night course in my original choice because I was finding it boring. To this day I maintain that messing up my A Levels is one of the best things that ever happened to me.

The point of this is that I so nearly didn’t end up here. I didn’t know what this career meant and as a result I didn’t want to pursue it. That’s why I think it’s important that those of us that are here go out and explain it, because how else does a kid actually know what it involves and whether or not it’s for them otherwise. [I think this is true of most STEM subjects]. There is the converse that explaining what it means might put off some kids who were previously interested, but that’s OK too. Knowledge is power, anything we can do to help kids filter through the hundreds of choices they have is a good thing.

Teachers Can’t Do It

Teachers don’t have the time or knowledge to be able to explain these things. They haven’t worked as software developers so how can they explain to their students what it means? I certainly couldn’t explain all the elements of teaching; I only know the bits I experienced from sitting in a classroom.

Kids are also constantly getting information from their teachers and can reach the point where eyes are rolled when advice is being given. Having a new person, a fresh face from the “real world” will have more impact, especially if you can set up a demonstration to show them what you do rather than just telling them.

Stereotypes

There aren’t a lot of diverse representations of IT people out there, stereotypes persist and we need to let younger generations see that they’re wrong.

It’s hard to find examples of cool geeks. It’s even harder to find examples of cool female geeks. I’m a woman, and I’m a geek, and I’m just plain awesome. I think I need to go out there and show that.

New Skills

Breaking down what software development is and the main components of it to a group of 11 year olds is not easy, but it’s a good challenge to have to take a completely different approach to things.

It is also a great way to build confidence; spend a morning answering questions from teenagers and you’ll feel everything else is easy.

Fun!

Above everything, it’s so much fun. There are some events I’ve come out of completely exhausted or hoarse but I’ve also grinned and laughed my way through them.

Kids are great fun and when you can see you’re really getting them thinking about IT in a different way and they start asking proper questions to learn more about it and how they get in to it as a career it’s like all your tests finally going green. Similarly seeing 11 year olds playing with the games you’ve just helped them make and having them experiment with different elements to see how they can change it up is downright heart warming.