Generally, it’s encouraged that kids begin planning their careers as soon as possible. The thing is that many of them are too busy being kids to think about that sort of thing. Which is totally natural – growing up is all about exploring, gaining experience, and learning loads of new things!
That’s why learning through play is so important in a child’s development – it gives them an opportunity to gain new skills while having fun at the same time. It teaches them how learning can be fun all while being equipped with useful skills that can be used down the road; whether in their general everyday life or for their future careers.
At Real Programming 4 Kids, we teach coding for children as young as 7 and up to 17 years of age. Our goal is to combine fun and learning into one in order to make the process of teaching coding to kids easier. This is why basic programming concepts are taught by getting kids to code video games.
For example, in our basic computer courses Beginner and Beginner+ we provide an introduction to Microsoft Visual Studio and more specifically programming in Visual Basic through the creation of two games: Serpent Temple (Visual Basic Beginner) and Pizza Bandit (Visual Basic Beginner+).
While developing their games, students learn to apply IF statements, arrays, variables, functions, parameters, objects, subroutines, and for loops, all in order to solve challenging programming puzzles like animation, chasing, and collision detection. Additionally, students are taught about fundamental math concepts like absolute value, coordinates (x and y value), inversion, and inequalities.
As students learn these complex concepts and write their code, they will be able to see the results of their work. In Serpent Temple the main character Drake has to avoid snakes, traps, boulders, and various other hazards while riding alligators in order to find hidden treasure. In Pizza Bandit a raccoon named Reggie needs to get all the pizza spread around Pizzaville before animal control gets a hold of him with their robotic cages.
Drake or Reggie wouldn’t be able to achieve their goals without the right code needed to program their adventures. This process of seeing the direct effects of their coding brought to life helps our students visualize the work they do and see the direct consequence of their actions: whether the code runs smoothly or if it needs work.
By combining the fun of video games and the coding expertise of our instructors, we are able to teach coding for kids at a pace and level that they can easily match. The end result is that our students are able to code in industry-standard programming languages like Visual Basic, Python, Java, C#, C++, and Unity.
A number of kids who take our classes aren’t only interested in video games, but they also want to learn and gain skills that will help them towards a career in tech. Tech is a STEM field where jobs are currently in high demand, meaning that teaching your kid anything STEM-related will give them a huge advantage down the road.
Coding also involves an element of math (which is another STEM field) so learning programming can actually branch off into a number of career options for them. Even if a child changes their mind later in life and wants to do something related to another field (say business), there are still plenty of advantages to learning how to program.
All these skills are transferable to any job, especially in a world where every industry employs technology in some way or another. Problem-solving is valued in any role, and being able to think outside of the box is always valued – there really is no disadvantage to learning code!
Typically, though, if your kid wants to learn how to code, they are probably going to want a job related to that. Next, let’s take a look at five programming-related careers that your child may be interested in. (Note that average salary varies based on experience.)
Average Salary: $70,000
Education Requirements: Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering
Video Game Developer is the first one on our list for obvious reasons – since our students learn how to code video games, this would be the most logical career path for them. Though technically anyone that is a part of the team that creates a video game can be referred to a Developer, the general understanding is that a Game Developer is a person who directly writes the game’s code.
Average Salary: $80,000
Education Requirements: Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering
Software Developers are responsible for using code to create and enhance applications for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Developers will also review, analyze, and modify programming systems, including encoding, testing, and debugging. Sometimes they may also be involved in the technical design, development, and integration of cross-functional, multi-platform application systems.
Average Salary: $60,000
Education Requirements: Degree or Diploma in Digital/Graphic Design, UI/UX or Relevant Field
Being a Web Developer means you will be creating websites using HTML/HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and other front-end frameworks. Not only do they need to have sound understanding of coding, but they also need to be trained in the principles of design, particularly related to user experience.
Average Salary: $90,000
Education Requirements: Degree in Engineering, Information Systems, or Computer Science
Computer Software Engineers are responsible for conceptualizing, designing, constructing, installing, maintaining, as well as repairing computer systems. Because of this, they need to be fluent in industry-standard programming languages and must possess skills in mathematics, programming, and software development.
Average Salary: $90,000
Education Requirements: Degree in Computer Science or Engineering
Database Administrators are tasked with the performance, integrity, and security of databases. They must design and build database systems of high quality based on each end user’s specialized role and are responsible for its constant maintenance. Familiarity with programming languages is a must-have in this role.
If you think your kid is headed towards one of these career paths, then you should start by signing them up for classes at Real Programming 4 Kids. We offer school season coding classes as well as summer coding camps in multiple locations across Southern Ontario, including Toronto, Richmond Hill, Etobicoke, Ottawa, Kitchener Waterloo, and London.
When looking for programming courses for kids we are the best choice because we teach real programming languages that are used in the industry. Most of our competitors use drag-and-drop game making software that requires minimal programming knowledge, meaning that your kids won’t truly be learning how to code.
We also offer something that no other coding school can: small class sizes of four students or less. This means that every student gets the attention they need and can learn at a pace that is suitable for them. Our expert instructors can keep track of students’ progress better and give assistance when needed. It’s a great environment for kids to learn in!
Call us to learn more about our classes and if you are interested in trying them out. We offer free trials to anyone interested where they can attend two classes, and if not satisfied, can get a full refund before the third one starts. With nothing to lose, why not check out what RP4K has to offer? We guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
