The BBC is giving away mini computers to 1 million year 7 children

Former_MSE_Megan

The BBC's new initiative 'Make it digital' is aiming to encourage more younger children to get into coding, and so are giving away mini-computers (similar to the Raspberry Pi) to 1 million year 7 pupils.

Do you have any children in or coming up to year 7? Do you think they will get on board with coding or have they already started? Maybe we have some next generation Steve Jobs around!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Perhaps the BBC will include something in the packaging to explain to the parents what a raspberry pi is. Otherwise it's just going to be chucked in the bin with a lot of families.

Lunar_Eclipse

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Otherwise it's just going to be chucked in the bin with a lot of families.

Seriously? :eek: Presumably they'd send it back if they were that against it. Or sell it.

Of course it will come with instructions.

gettingtheresometime

Of course the BBC has money to give away hasn't it......or is should the headline read tv licence payers give away 1 million computers ????

jaylee3

What a massive waste of money!

And I know I may appear thick, but what is this thing about getting kids into 'computer coding?' Barclays advertise that on the telly.

Why the necessity for children to learn 'coding?' Maybe someone can enlighten me?

NICHOLAS_2

Even more glad i never have, and never will, pay the bbc a penny.

I don't have kids, but i do have knowledge about the interwebz and have many websites of my own and am search engine proficient.

Why are people being encouraged to code? coders are ten a penny, maybe more, and in certain parts of the world you can hire skilled people for peanuts.

Over saturated market.

I wish my school taught me more about the internet and websites though, what i know i learned myself off the internet.

I remember my old ICT teacher teaching us how to build a website using notepad, very primitive though and not followed up with further learning meaning you forgot it in 2 seconds.

jaylee3

Thanks Nicholas.

Well I guess you have a point. If they teach every kid the same thing, it will be an over saturated market!

securityguy

There's a massive shortage of people who are good, however. That's why good CS students on one year work placements between the second and third year can get forty grand, just for a year's work experience. That's why the place we don't mention in Cheltenham is currently offering two grand, board and lodging for students to spend about six weeks in the summer on a course. That's why there's essentially unlimited funding available for people with UK work permits to do PhDs in computer science, and every year places go unfilled.

"Why are people being encouraged to code? coders are ten a penny, maybe more, and in certain parts of the world you can hire skilled people for peanuts. "

The typical starting salary for CS graduates in the UK from decent universities is about forty grand, and fifty is not unheard of. That's hardly "ten a penny". One of the main reasons why people drop out of computer science degrees now at a higher rate than they did in the past is that, susprisingly, fewer of them now arrive able to code that was the case twenty years ago, and that severely impacts their ability to do computer science.

bap98189

NICHOLAS wrote: »

Why are people being encouraged to code? coders are ten a penny, maybe more, and in certain parts of the world you can hire skilled people for peanuts.

No they aren't. At least not good ones. Good, experienced, programmers can earn a lot of money.

The problem is that coding isn't something that can be easily taught at university. It requires a logical mindset that is difficult to teach in later life. It doesn't really matter what language you learn, by getting an interest in coding at a very young age, you pick up an understanding of what is required and the mindset that is required.

[Deleted User]

I've got my 5 year old a Rasberry Pi B (plan to upgrade to the v2 later). I'll get him doing python once his maths gets better. I was coding on a BBC Micro B when I was 9 .. he's going to get quite a head start on me.

I've seen some TERRIBLE TERRIBLE code in my time in IT, just because you either 'get it' or you don't. You need a head that can manage very abstract concepts to be a good coder (or even an average one really).

Those mini-computers look a lot less capable than a Rasberry Pi though

BTW - not all coding jobs are well paid! When I graduated with my MSc, I ended up starting on £18k.. probably because I was biology graduate who coded.. there was no massive premium on developers that I remember

I think the £40k starting salary is quite misleading; I can't imagine there are many jobs like that. I knew people who coded Java in London about 8 years ago and they weren't on over £30k

Arthien

ringo_24601 wrote: »

BTW - not all coding jobs are well paid! When I graduated with my MSc, I ended up starting on £18k.. probably because I was biology graduate who coded.. there was no massive premium on developers that I remember

I think the £40k starting salary is quite misleading; I can't imagine there are many jobs like that. I knew people who coded Java in London about 8 years ago and they weren't on over £30k

I think you're right. In my experience, salary very much depends on location, coding languages learnt and type of coding that interests. I know someone who is now on £50k, nearly 5 years after graduating, but started on £18k, and only progressed because his coding skillset is in demand.

But I also know that most of the web developers in his company don't generally earn much more than he started on, because they're just not as in demand as people who can create products and services from scratch. But then one of my friends from uni walked straight into a graduate job for a bank in London and was on £40k from the off, so it can happen.

I'd love to learn to code, but even though learning languages is my area of interest, I really struggle to get to grips with even the basics of coding.