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

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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

I'm another one with geeky coding background. All the pedantic comments about coder & developer roles are even more boring than the idea of whole days or weeks writing in C.

DH has a very family friendly setup as a PT-employed web developer.

DS sometimes wants to be a games coder (actually on the skills shortage list), and might be keen on a 12 week intensive course.

Coding for science reasons I tend to like, because modelling is great, but web development has never stroked my boat. Biggest barriers: most people want a more interactive, less tedious job.

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

Yes. But I'm starting with limited knowledge & would have to be freelance & run my own business from home (severely disabled child). Not sure it's very realistic to get to that stage without some actual working for a company. I couldn't do your course around my responsibilities.

Yes my younger two boys are into coding. Especially ds2 who has been coding (self taught) since about the age of 9. He wants to be an actor & would like to learn those sorts of skills to increase his employability/earning potential when not performing. He'd have to be able to work freelance as well though which sounds as if it might be challenging? He might be your idea target market though.

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
Probably not much, make my website a bit neater. I'd like to run a simple web design business from home. If I got really clever & had investment & mates I'd love to team
up, invent the next club penguin & flog to Disney
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?

Time for me. And learning alone.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

The end result - the process is quite boring.

And 8k is a lot to sign up to for a 12 week course although it might suit someone like my ds2, maybe for a gap year. But he may not get the most out of it as it would be his fallback - so he might be better doing something cheaper at a slower rate.

If you offered something a bit lower key or more niche/specialised leading to the sorts of skills that would let me work from home on my own stuff then I would be interested. I'm guessing I'd learn a lot more than I needed on your course.

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer?

I used to work as a web designer, using basic html and CSS, with a little smattering of php. I never considered myself a web developer though.

If not, why not?

See answer above...

Are your older DC interested in coding?

I'm pregnant with my first, so I can't answer this! I'll support my child to learn anything he/she is interested in though - when the time comes!!!

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

I only ever knew rudimentary coding. I've since switched careers to digital marketing (specialising in SEO) which suits me better. I actually don't think I want to change my career away from marketing as I've worked hard to get where I am. I do think my basic level coding helps with SEO work though, but I don't feel I need more as I work with people who are much, much, much better than me at coding. I think its best to let stick to your strengths - mine aren't coding, but my colleagues are amazing at it!

If anything, I'm moving more and more into marketing and enjoying this progression.

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

I started learning basic coding around ten years ago, and there weren't many places to learn then. I am mostly self-taught. I think there are more opportunities for learning now though.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

I like clean code best... if I'm honest, the most interesting thing about coding is the end result. Working in digital marketing, I liaise a lot with coders/developers and I'm always impressed by what can be achieved.

Well, I can code, but its not something I really enjoy doing. I'm much better at telling developers what features we want, and then breaking it all.

My ds likes coding - it appeals to his orderly mind.

I enjoy the development process (in my role I have full circle responsibility for my products), and I do like the way coding lets me create stuff. But I love the way I can sketch out a concept to someone, bribe them with coffee, and some furious typing later I can see it working. I luffs my engineers

OK I've just been proven wrong about there being no part time web jobs. I've just been perusing the MN jobs list and there's a part time 'software specialist' position available. With the Secret Intelligence Service that's MI6 to you and me.

You can apply but you're not allowed to tell anybody about it other than your partner

OK intermission over, back to the questions they're asking in the OP!

I used to be quite reasonable with fortran. I can pick my way round basic html, but I would love to learn how to write apps. I have a couple of ideas, one that I think would be 'big'.

dd likes coding, but as a means to an end.

The barrier for me would be trying to squeeze too much into life. To learn Id have to give up something else that I do. With no guarantees of sucess.

I used to write in COBOL, also Fortran, and a few others, nearly 40 years ago, before PCs were invented.

DD (15) isn't remotely interested, and nor are her friends. Not because they don't know it's an option, but because they had to do it in primary and it was done really badly. They all know what their aims are, and using computers is obviously an everyday necessity no matter your job, but their aspirations are wholly different.

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

Web developer - no. I was a software engineer before children and really enjoyed problem solving and coding. Web development doesn't really interest me though. Lots of different technologies and a saturated outsourced market.

Are your older DC interested in coding?

Probably not - not old enough yet and DC1 is not very logical. DC2 is still in nappies.

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

I can - I've developed some apps in Android and IOS and I used to work on large IT projects, mostly in mobile development. I think I'll probably work for myself or do some contracting when my DC are older though.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
I don't think the jobs are particularly family friendly. I plan to work for myself though. I think you need to be a patient, logical person to succeed in it.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?

I love problem solving. I love the buzz that you get when you finally track down a bug or work out a really neat way of doing something.

I'm currently doing a couple of free Coursera courses, which seem to fit in well with my available time. I did the Android training course a while ago, which I enjoyed very much.

I'm currently enrolled on Nand to Tetris which is excellent - by far the best MOOC I've ever done. I'm finding it fascinating - starting with simple Nand gates and building them into a simple computer, writing an assembler and compiler for the computer and then software to go on it. It's filling in a load of gaps in my knowledge. I'm getting the book for my birthday .

I'm also learning Python - again on a free course. I've resisted Python for a while now (don't like the whole indentation thing) and I've always used Perl previously but I thought I'd give it a go since everyone seems to recommend it.

The main thing is that, especially while I"m not bringing in much of a wage (apart from a bit from the apps) it's not worth my while to do a paid for course and I wouldn't pay for childcare to do a full time training course, never mind pay for the course itself. There's such a lot out there for free now and anything you actually need to know isn't that difficult to find out.

Whatever you learn either becomes out of date or rusty if you're not using it all the time - in most development I've done you learn what you need as you go.

handy links Gardening :)

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
No have never considered as I grew up with a fear of all things computer related. At school we had one school computer with those big literally floppy disks and if you did anything in the wrong order the computer would die and you'd have that shame hanging over you until it was repaired. It gave me a lifelong fear of computers!

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I love the idea of learning coding just to help me get over my fears and understand a bit more.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
fear of not understanding the basics.

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
Gives a new freedom and i think would ignite a passion in many people that they never realised was even there.

it opens up opportunities workwise. And its always good to learn something new.

Have I considered a career as a web developer?
No.

What would you do if you knew how to code?
I Learnt basic at 6 and have a computing degree. I'm an analyst.

What is the biggest barrier to coding?
Fear of maths. Lack of understanding of the end job. Arrogant dickhead developers who want to keep their world exclusive. Expensive, useless long term, language specific training courses.
What do you find interesting about coding?
I used to find coding interesting, building things from scratch seeing instant results.
But as a job it is rarely that.

So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
It's an area of interest but around a specific type of web resource, linked to my existing career

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
Explore / develop resources to help people with disabilities and their family / friends

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
It's an inaccessible world, even the word coding sounds like something they would talk about on Big Bang theory

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
The challenge of learning something new to develop existing ideas. I'm of the 'she believed she could, so she did' school of thought, so if I had the time /knew where to start I'd go for it!

I am very interested in the web. I built my own website early on. I find coding odd, in as much as my children get to do it. It seems just like selecting options really. A. Would like them to know how to dig beneath this, to set up the palette of choices themselves. I think the whole coding thing is somewhat overhyped.

Hear what gardening says
'There's such a lot out there for free now and anything you actually need to know isn't that difficult to find out.'

Really no need to pay for an £8k course. Seems to me they are praying on the ignorant.

It does seem odd to aim at "from no experience to web developer in 12 weeks". If it was a "you've been learning on your own, now come fill in the gaps, learn how to work effectively with other developers, and get that polish and prep you'll need to be useful early in your first job" then I'd find it more convincing. I can't really believe there are many successful applicants who plonk down eight grand without having played around enough to know if they like it!

That said, I have a reasonably positive impression of Maker's Academy's reputation over the last few years. I hope they'll listen to the feedback they've solicited here.

I'm also aware that companies like Etsy have used coding schools to increase their proportion of female devs (apparently showing a strong commitment to hiring and developing junior women, also attracted more senior female developers as they liked what it said about the company culture). If Maker's Academy are advertising here, it would be interesting to hear who they think the London Etsy's are?

Oh, and if people want a good pointer to the best "teach yourself" resources, try here:
www.theodinproject.com/

Thanks egg stained - looks interesting

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
I've webtested but never considered the technical side
~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
Code!
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
Access to and length of time needed for sufficient training to reach high enough standard
~ What do you find interesting about coding?
Producing something funcitonal and impressive

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?

I learnt coding when I was 12. I guess being young was a advantage. I picked it up online and learning from coding forums. I had people who helped me when I was stuck and from there I put together the pieces. I made websites, programmes and had fun. Then life got in the way and I lost that touch I had and sort of forgot it that I struggle with the basics sometimes! If I was a junior level coder though, I would make websites and apps designed to help children learn. The biggest barriers I find, are not the coding but to make a design to go along with it. I am not so good with Photoshop and the sort and using stock images isn't always the best so that's where I lack.

What I find interesting about coding is how simple letters and " ' and so on can make such a difference. Letters do more than speak. They design and make a difference. Coding is great.

I've never considered it as I don't think I'd be very good at it. I love having a job where I use words and I'm not sure coding would be something I would find interesting enough. Different strokes and all that.

I would like to learn to code...I think the Academy sounds like an excellent idea. I wish it had been around when I was younger. I have never seriously considered it as I don't know if I have the aptitude.

My eldest son has taught himself how to code, and has lots of ideas.

If I could code I would like to make a series of educational apps for young children. I home schooled my children at a time when there were not many resources available, and some interactive apps would have been a great help as children love things like that and learn best by doing.

I think coding gives the perception of being very complicated and difficult and so doesn't seem very accessible to the average person.

Being able to make cool things with a few strokes of the keyboard is the stuff of science fiction and seems very clever!

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
No. I've never been particularly computer/math minded. I also viewed it as a mostly male career. My dd is a baby, although she seems to like slapping my iPad. My dh considered it as a career about 2002 but found it difficult to get into.
~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
I may build a website for my husbands business. I would be concerned that I would end up being dumped with the website at work though.
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
For me personally not have any idea what it involves.
~ What do you find interesting about coding?
I don't

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not?
I have tried it, i hate it, making the web page browser agnostic and still look nice is really really hard, and do you know how bad the pay is...

~ What would you do if you knew how to code?
what i do now java

~ What do you find interesting about coding?
the problem solving bit.

~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding?
when i started home computers were new/shiny/exciting, now they are just machines to use there is no excitement to it.

~ So, have you ever considered a career as a web developer? If not, why not? Are your older DC interested in coding?
No, I am an engineer though. When I was at school computer science seemed hard to get into and unclear what the end career would be. Civil engineering easier to relate to. My oldest DS (11) is very interested and can't get enough of it at school but I can't help him at home.
~ What would you do if you knew how to code? Write apps to make my job easier and smarter!
~ What do you think are the biggest barriers to coding? People not really understanding what it involves and how to get started.
~ What do you find interesting about coding? Having a tool you can do practically anything with