We should rethink how we teach people to code

A young coder's first creation, a tide calculator built in VB.Net at age sixteen, offers a glimpse into how programming education often misses the mark. While computer science courses teach the mechanics of coding, they frequently fail to connect these skills to building something meaningful in the real world.

"Ninety percent of software engineering has nothing to do with actually writing code," notes the programmer-turned-mentor who now guides newer engineers through the profession's true foundations.

What's missing from many coding programs is what might be called an "engineer's second sight" – the ability to see computers through fresh eyes, break down problems, and understand what's happening beneath the surface of our digital devices.

The solution? Start with HTML instead of Python or Java, letting newcomers create websites they can immediately deploy and share with the world.

"Software has to be one of the very few places where we think we can teach people to be good at it without doing real work," the author observes, arguing that students should deploy real code from the beginning, just as bakers must produce edible bread from their first lessons.

By emphasizing creation over abstraction, coding education might attract those who can bring both technical skill and genuine care to a field that desperately needs both.