For more than five years, Eddings had immersed herself in computer programming and coding. Now, the creator of her own coding program, Codewithsharen, Sharen Eddings, persists to champion the idea that coding is essential for all regardless of the current global climate.
Web design, game, and app development, to name a few, are examples of what computer programmers can do. As the world transforms information into digital format, Eddings believes that technology will be the future of the economy, which gives a significant reason why people should learn about coding. “Computer programming doesn’t only teach you how to build software, but also how to think and problem-solve,” Eddings claimed. This awareness leads to the launching of her coding lessons available for kids as young as twelve and adults. “We want to teach children to become the producers of technology, not only consumers of technology,” Eddings stated, “Kids nowadays are very smart with their devices and learn quickly.”
Her interactive coding lessons would begin with eight to ten minutes of typing, followed by an introductory video that guides her students through the class schedule and lessons. Then, the course will continue with a lesson about either HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. Eddings aims for her students to earn the fundamentals of computer programming with her hour-long virtual classes. To ensure that happens, Eddings established ‘Free Fridays’, where her students are encouraged to apply all of the things that they’ve learned about programming throughout the week every given Friday. “When you learn about coding, you’re learning a whole new language and some,” Eddings explained, “Colors itself is a language and a way of communicating in coding. For example, when you see banking websites, you normally see blue, indicating trust and stability, whereas the color orange is a confident color and usually indicates luxury. I will make sure that my students understand this language as well. The color balance is vital in design since users make their impression of the website or application by the first look, and colors have a big part in that.”
Codewithsharen started small and has transformed into a growing startup company. What used to be a volunteer and an after-school program has now become a virtual program accessible for everyone, anywhere. “It was initially my son and his classmates, which turned into fifteen students, then twenty-five and more because kids kept sneaking in!” Eddings claimed, “After that, I was trying to find a way on how to multiply myself, so I developed our software for a virtual coding lesson.” As the pandemic hits, Eddings continuously plans to take her software to the next level to give her students the education and attention they need.
Her love for computer programming began at a local library, where she stumbled upon the computer science section and fell in love with it. As a mother of three, Eddings struggled to find career opportunities that would give her the liberty to work from home and have flexible hours until she came into the tech world. “I saw a lot of potential with computer programming after learning about it. I decided to put what I learned into my resume after 8 months of teaching myself how to code. I managed to land a job at an automotive software engineering company two weeks later. That’s changed my life ever since,” Eddings said, “They gave me better wages and opportunities as they wanted me to learn more about coding and tech companies will even pay for you to continue your education. I no longer saw the glass ceiling as coding allows me to write my future.”
Eddings describes her experience working in a tech company as nothing short of remarkable. “Everyone is so relaxed. We will talk to each other about what we did over the weekends and take a walk to brainstorm with each other when we’re trying to figure out how to solve a software or coding problem,” Eddings explained. On top of that, as a mother, Eddings felt all of the benefits as she was able to work flexible hours, work from home, and have unlimited vacation hours. “Freedom,” Eddings expressed, “Coding gives you that kind of freedom to do anything that you want with the knowledge that you have.”
Even though the tech world appreciates her as a working mother, the investing firms beg to differ. According to a research study in 2019, there’s barely one percent of Black female founders in the tech industry who get approved of funding and grants. “Convincing parents to put their kids through a coding lesson can also be challenging at times. A lot of them think that their kids can’t handle it, which is not true at all,” Eddings argued, “In reality, kids nowadays are brilliant, plus, parents can also learn it too with their kids!”
On top of many reasons to learn how to code, Eddings would love to emphasize three major reasons to give parents and young adults who are interested in computer programming:
1) Coding is fun and comes with the community!
“You wouldn’t believe how many people out there who want to help you with it. There is a wonderful community of support in the coding world,” Eddings claimed.
2) Lifestyle change
“Parents, if you want to work from home, make more money, and be able to travel at the same time, this is the job for you and what you’re probably looking for,” Eddings stated.
3) Capabilities change over time.
“There is statistical proof that kids earn many benefits by learning how to code. Don’t ever think that your kids can’t handle it because kids are one of the best learners of new languages,” Eddings argued.
To learn more about Sharen Eddings and her virtual coding lesson, Codewithsharen, click the links below!
Linkedin: Sharen Eddings
Website. www.codewithsharen.com
