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You've written a lot of text, and I don't have time to respond to all of it. I think, like O'Neill and Altman, we agree vehemently on a lot, including what should be done to help the disadvantaged. Where we disagree, I think the disagreement is mostly due to definitions and life experience. With regard to definitions: The article talks about tech's high barrier to entry, yet as I pointed out, it seems to have one of the lowest barriers of any profession. If you still want to say tech has a high barrier to entry, then you must also say the same for chemistry, bio, plumbing, hairdressing, and music. Unlike programming, one can't learn those skills with just a computer and internet access. They require hands-on work with chemicals, instruments, specialized tools, and other apparati. In contrast, the only physical device required to learn programming is a computer. Everything else is software. With regard to life experience: I learned to write C and Perl on a 486 at school. I could only use it before and after classes. It had no internet access, though I did have the right books to consult. I didn't have a computer at home until the middle of high school, when I bought one with money from a summer job. I had no mentors. Later, my brother learned Python and JavaScript on his own. Again, no mentors or teachers. I wouldn't say I'm great at writing code, but I make a living as a software engineer. My brother could do the same, but he's more interested in math. In a nation of over 300 million people, you'll always be able to find some people who are SOL. And of course we should help those people. Organizations like Codestarter[1] are doing great work. But when it comes to learning programming, most Americans today have better opportunities than my brother or I did. This includes spare time. The average American spends hours every day watching television or browsing Facebook. So if most have the opportunity, then why is the supply of programmers so low? I think, more than anything, lack of interest is what keeps people away from tech. To most people, programming looks as fun as filling out a tax return where all fields must be answered in Latin palindromes. It's boring, tedious, and frustrating beyond belief. 1. https://codestarter.org/ |