Have you considered a career in Web Development? What would you do if you knew computer programming? Share your thoughts with Makers Academy

[AnnMumsnet]

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We have been asked by the team at Makers Academy to find out what you think about the fascinating world of coding.

They say "Makers Academy is a fully immersive, 12 week computer programming bootcamp. It's like Oxbridge meets the Royal Marines, but for people learning to code. It’s designed to turn people with no knowledge of web-development into job-ready junior developers in just 12 weeks. We’re Europe’s #1 Developer Bootcamp, running a new class of 25 highly selected students every 6 weeks".

"Ronin, Makers Academy’s latest offering, allows you to enrol at Makers Academy, and enjoy all the benefits of being a student at Makers Academy, without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home".

They go on to say "we take a "learn by doing" approach, through self-directed, project-based work. Students are encouraged to work in pairs on practical coding challenges, with weekly tests, culminating in a final project presented to hiring partners on "Graduation Day". We actively support and mentor our graduates into work, helping set up job interviews with our extensive network of hiring partners. Of the 300+ students we've taught so far, almost everybody who has finished our course with the intention of becoming a developer has achieved this within 3 months of graduating or less".

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
~ What do you find interesting about coding?

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Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

[AngelBlue12]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?

My DH does IT maintenance and some website design and is teaching our DC's to do the same as a small part of their home education.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

The whole 'know how to code' phrase needs explaining more - there are many types of coding that are used for many different jobs, a lot of the coding out there is so specialised that there isn't much point lots of people learning it as there are not enough jobs out there.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

1. It's fairly boring!
   

1. As mentioned above there are not enough jobs to warrant training all kids to do it, schools need to encourage more practical jobs too, otherwise the world will be full of geeks and nerds but no plumbers...
   

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

I don't - see part 2 of question 2 :D

[Stealthpolarbear]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding
Yes I used to be a software developer. I'm now a data analyst who does a lot of coding but little development. You don't seem to distinguish between the two
~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
Based on the answer to 1, what I'm doing now. Changed careers. I love coding and logic, i hate the other aspects of software development.
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
People think it'd boring. People in general don't understand logic.
~ What do you find interesting about coding?
Making stuff work at a very basic level. Everything I need to do now is in via.

[Stealthpolarbear]

Should have been vba

[PerspicaciaTick]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
Vaguely, but I can't afford to retrain and suspect that there is insufficient local work to make it worthwhile borrowing money to retrain. My DCs are somewhat interested in coding as a means to an end rather than because they enjoy coding per se.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I do know how to code...mainframes. I am officially a dinosaur.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
The cost of keeping up with changes to the industry once you no longer have an employer to pay for training and are no longer earning enough to pay for training yourself.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
I love the problem solving and creativity.

[PerspicaciaTick]

PS. I used to work with fast track graduates recruited as developers by one of the big consultancy firms. Most were about a year into their jobs. They couldn't really code without an awful lot of hand holding and guidance. So I'm a little sceptical about the sorts of jobs your 12 weeks of training would equip people for. But would love to know what is different.

[winkywinkola]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not?
No, I've never considered a career as a web developer simply because it feels like it would be another world. Inaccessible like my granny learning to use a smartphone but far harder. I bet it's fascinating though. I just don't feel I am capable.

~Are your older DC interested in coding?
My eldest is. He's 10. He's gripped by it. I'm trying to find courses for him to do in school holidays. I'm certain the other dcs will be too as they get older.*

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
Design wonderful helpful apps. I don't know what else. I don't know the barriers of coding - what it can and can't create.


~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
Age, cost of courses.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
A whole new world that has left me behind and I'm only in my forties.

[CopperPan]

It is not something I've considered as a career. I have tried learning to code before but I didn't find it that interesting, and I think my key skills lie elsewhere.

My dcs aren't interested in coding, although I've tried to encourage them. They enjoy using computers for gaming and entertainment, but not actual study!

I'd be interested in the scientific applications of coding if I knew how to code. I work in a scientific area now but it doesn't involve much computational work. I think the barriers to coding are lack of confidence and enthusiasm, and some people don't get it in the same way that some people find maths difficult.

I find it interesting that coding offers ways to be creative and efficient.

[thewomaninwhitefluffybunnyears]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?

No I have not (DC are too young). I think that I would be bored tbh.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

Write my own website and apps? These could be useful for work.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

Attention to detail (perhaps that is just me and my lame attempts). Boredom

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

I can't say that I do. I like the idea of being able to do it but don't feel as motivated as I should to learn.

[schmalex]

I find the idea interesting, but if I look at the website, the training course is 60+ hours a week and I couldn't do that around children. I'm also not convinced that an entry-level coding job would be flexible enough, as most other entrants would be young & child free.

[Theimpossiblegirl]

~ Have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
I have not considered a career as a web developer, but if I was younger I might. The hours needed to do this course just wouldn't be do-able for most parents.
My DDs enjoy Coding at school and are much better at it than me. For the young and childless it looks like a fantastic opportunity.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
If I was good at it, I would make apps, sell them and be rich.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
The biggest barrier is the fact that it is so new and so many people just don't understand what it is, how to do it etc. This unfortunately includes a lot of primary teachers, who now have to teach Coding with no extra resources, funding or training.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
The potential to go from entering simple commands to make an object on a screen move to creating hugely successful websites that have to potential to be as big as Facebook!

[TwoLittleTerrors]

[b]So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?[/b]
I assume you mean a bit of html and css? No I am not interested as it doesn't pay well. The industry is very male dominated. I wouldn't advice girls to enter the industry unless they fancy being the only female in the team. Or they really enjoy male activities, like playing FPS, go kart, etc.

[b]What would you do if you knew how to code?[/b]
I do. And I have worked on c++, Java, Python, perl, php, JavaScript and probably more. Only one of these is my main language that I get employed as.
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
~ What do you find interesting about coding?

[TwoLittleTerrors]

Oops

biggest barrier to coding?
It's a very young industry and you need to constantly learn new languages or you will be out. I don't believe you need to pay for a 12 weeks course to learn it though. I am skeptical about what you can teach and learn in 12 weeks, that you can't learn just by going to the web for free.

Also you have to be weird. Or used to odd people. Have you seen that new show with pied piper? That's my team.

What's interesting about coding?
I work with very smart people who are professional and keen to do a good job. I can rely on my team and have never been let down. What I don't like is office politics.

[slightlyeggstained]

I find this disappointing:
"Do you offer part-time courses?

Currently we only offer our full-time course because we don't believe we could deliver a world-class result on a part-time basis. One of the main problems people have in teaching themselves to code is the inconsistency in learning. The 12-week program provides full immersion to overcome this barrier and we're not yet certain how we could deliver that with a part-time regiment."

Do you really believe that it's only possible to study successfully by spending 12 hours a day at it?

Have you heard of this concept called sustainable pace ? I hear it's all the rage...

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

£8000 for 12 weeks

[FannyFanakapan]

So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? No, I worked in IT in a managerial role, and my DH works in IT as a consultant now. Everything is being outsourced to India and Malaysia, as its cheaper. The front end DESIGN/concept may stay in the UK, but big companies outsource a lot of their actual coding.

Are your older DC interested in coding? No. See above


~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I would rebuild our Scout website to make it really clever and effective. Right now its crap, and I dont have the skills to fix it. Ive started looking at wordpress, but its a whole new concept - I got lost on "widgets" and now Im a bit scared to go back in to have a look and figure it out!

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
There is a certain arrogance to people who code vs people who dont - they assume that you will understand all the techy stuff around web design, like "FTP" and the like. SOmeone told me I would have to install wordpress on my PC using WAMP....like a novice would understand what the heck that means. (I am, however, a googlemeister, so I figured it out).

Theres also an issue with regular people like me who just want a good old WISIWIG interface/site builder to allow them to play with the content, not worry about the code.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
Not much. Its a means to an end. The end being the people who use your web product and how they interact with it. Too many sites are so busy with their flashing cleverness that they become slow and irritating - the web developers have no sense of editing down, keeping things simple, understanding why the user came to the site - not to gaze in amazement at the developers cleverness, but to get information.

[clopper]

So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not?
No I haven't. i'm not a very logical person and don't have 'out of the box' thinking skills that are probably required. Also I think it might be boring.


Are your older DC interested in coding?
they are interested in using things like scratch to build simple games and sequences.
~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I don't know as I am not keen on computer games so it would have to be something different to that.
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
Teacher/ parental knowledge. I think kids are often ahead of adults with this and have less restricted thinking. I don't agree with making all children learn computer coding as I think that it requires a particular natural skill set and mindset, much as A level maths or physics or music might.
~ What do you find interesting about coding?
I have enjoyed seeing what the DC do with things like scratch, and I know that coding is vital to all sorts of internet applications, such as security of data. However, I don't feel any particular interest or excitement when thinking about coding... sorry!

[trackrBird]

• So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
  

Yes, definitely. But rejected the idea because there is so MUCH you can learn; it's unlimited, and it's always changing. Cold fusion, PHP, Ruby, CSS3, SASS, JavaScript, jQuery...what's important one year seems obsolete the next.
Plus, as others point out - outsourcing overseas seems to be the trend.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

I do, but for fun - not at a professional level. No idea how someone like me could break into web development professionally. But I would love to work with others, or do some contract work. I would also aim to create better results with my non-professional projects ;)

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
That it's in constant flux, and constantly expanding in scope. It's hard to define a curriculum or standard that will remain useful for any length of time. You have to keep learning. But ...

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
That you can create interesting or individual results quickly - but also that there IS more to learn, all the time. Debugging is also quite fun ( within reason...cough..)

[CrispyFern]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?

No, it's never crossed my mind. My children are too young.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

I would... Code? If I could make a website, what would I make? I think I'd make some sort of art. Randomly generated colours and patterns or something. Fractals? Something pretty.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

I assume that it's quite a sexist industry? But I might be completely wrong!

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

To be honest I don't know much about it! All I know is my ex who did a lot of coding for work was getting accredited in X then Y then Z then A then B then C, different things all the time. It seems never ending.

[Stealthpolarbear]

I didn't find it sexist. Prove your geek credentials and you're in

[Alice2014]

Have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not?

I'm a web developer, it's an area which is constantly changing but I don't think you can run over night courses in teaching people. It's like asking if you're interested in a career in engineering, and learning everything you need to know in a few weeks.


Are your older DC interested in coding?

N/A


What would you do if you knew how to code?

I do know. And have a really good job with fifteen years' experience.


What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

Constant changes, portfolio experience requirements and the fact that these programs exist to teach anyone to be an expert.


What do you find interesting about coding?

The fact I can start with a blank page and turn that into whatever I need. There are no parameters or limits other than that which I've defined.

[ouryve]

I'd be a ridiculous junior developer at 45.

I can code a it and can pick up more, fairly easily.

Really good developers are the ones who have been doing it since they could read, though. DH is one of those and it's completely hard wired in him. He'd forget his head, if it wasn't screwed on and the washer is too complicated for him but show him your code that's not working and he can puzzle out the problem, whether it's a simple missing semicolon or a reference to something that hasn't been defined or a memory leak. I don't have the ability to put the practicalities of life out of my head far enough to get into such intricacies.

12 weeks isn't enough, really, unless you can do it already.

[BeakyMinder]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not?

Yes, I taught myself a bit of html in my last job and vaguely considered it for a moment or two, but I'd be going back 20 years to the beginning of my career again and didn't especially want to do that.

Are your older DC interested in coding?

Yes my DD really likes Scratch

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I've got a few ideas for campaigns which would only really work given decent website, so I'd build the website. Charities have loads of problems getting good techies so my next step would be to volunteer my skills.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
Lots of people, especially women, think it's too hard for them. But I think that's bollocks. All you need is patience and the will to learn. It's very similar to learning how to knit or read music.

I think geeks make the whole thing sound really scary and mysterious on purpose, in order to big themselves up and deter others from joining the industry. Which has worked nicely to inflate their wages.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
It's really satisfying to keep messing around with the code until it works, by trial and error. And it's really creative too, there's usually several ways to accomplish the same task. Coding is a craft, just like crochet or woodwork!

[CultureSucksDownWords]

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?

Yes, I work in this area. I don't have older dc yet, but I imagine they probably will be.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

This is a stupid question as you have assumed I don't know how to code. As I do know "how to code", I've worked in IT since leaving university.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

Ability/intellect, lack of ability to think logically, poor education, poor careers advice.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

Problem solving, learning new skills constantly, learning how things work, new developments.
__

Your course is really not family friendly. No one with responsibilities could attend your course without great difficulty and/or expense. Offering a £500 discount will not help with this. I would be interested in the demographics of who attends your courses.

[knotnowdear]

I've worked in IT since before the web, starting off with COBOL.

I've not considered a job as a web developer, it would be going backwards in my career.

If I had time to code I'd probably do something Minecrafty for DD.

Barriers to coding? I don't hear children say that they would like to do it as a career, it's probably not "sold" as an idea to them at school - having said that, if you're the type to be a coder, you'll probably have already found your way to code club, like I did at 11.

I enjoyed coding - particularly artificial intelligence. Creating something out of nothing, doing something useful or solving a business problem is all good fun - getting a tricky bit of code working is rewarding.

If I decided to learn another language now, I'd head off to a MOOC like EdX or Coursera. Not pay $8K for the privilege (sorry Makers Academy).

[icklekid]

So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?

I was always interested in how computers work and as a child used to build them with my Dad we then progressed to coding. Career wise I knew I wanted to teach so never considered web design however I led IT/Computing and the school website (series of self hosted blogs) for many years.
My ds is only a baby but I would love to teach him if hes interested.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?

I have made it a part of my job and taught youngsters - the raspberry pie has been fantastic at inspiring a new generation to code!

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

Lack of knowledge and perception of it being too hard or boring.

what do you find interesting about coding?

Ability to work from scratch and make a custom solution