So, You Want to Be a Coder?: The Ultimate Guide to a Career in Programming, Video Game Creation, Robotics, and More! (Be What You Want)

So, You Want to Be a Coder?: The Ultimate Guide to a Career in Programming, Video Game Creation, Robotics, and More! (Be What You Want)

Love coding? Make your passion your profession with this comprehensive guide that reveals a whole host of careers working with code. Behind the screen of your phone, tablet, computer, or game console lies a secret language that allows it all to work. Computer code has become as integral to our daily lives as reading and writing, even if you didn’t know it! Now it’s time to plug in and start creating the same technology you’re using every day. Covering everything from navigating the maze of computer languages to writing code for games to cyber security and artificial intelligence, So, You Want to Be a Coder? debugs the secrets behind a career in the diverse and state-of-the-art industry. In addition to tips and interviews from industry professionals, So, You Want to Be a Coder? includes inspiring stories from kids who are working with code right now, plus activities, a glossary, and helpful resources to put you on the path to a fun and rewarding career with computer code today! Gr 5–7—Bedell has packed this title with information perfect for aspiring coders. Sections cover writing code, website coders, artificial intelligence and robots, coding languages, and more. Early on, readers are asked to take an "Is Writing Code Right for Me?" quiz. Each chapter is prefaced with a cheesy but fun joke (for example, "What do you call a programmer in Scandinavia? A Nerdic."). The writing is chatty and engaging. The text is peppered with biographical spotlights of famous and influential people in the coding world—from Charles Babbage (1791–1871), the father of computing, to Henry Edward Roberts (1941–2010), the father of the personal computer. Profiles of more current people are also included, for instance, Kelly Clarke, a software engineer for NASA, and Louise Stinnett, a retired senior systems programmer, who in her profile explains what it was like to be a woman coder in the 1960s. Cartoon illustrations dot each page. Although the pictures aren't colorful, they don't hamper the overall upbeat tone. A glossary and an extensive list of resources finish off the text. VERDICT A timely and lighthearted addition to the careers section for tweens.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI Bedell drafts an encouraging how-to guide for budding computer coders, the eighth title in the Be What You Want series, introducing the basics of what coding means, the necessary knowledge and skills, programming languages, and career opportunities. Bedell brings in additional real-life perspective through interviews with individuals working in the tech industry, young coders, and profiles of innovators like Sister Mary Kenneth Keller, the first American woman to receive a Ph.D. in computer science. Quizzes, tech timelines, resource lists, and sidebars on related topics further round out the career advice. While it’s a solid resource for any reader, the focus on female coders and innovators make it an especially apt choice for girls interested in STEM fields. Ages 8–12. -- Publishers Weekly ― June 6, 2016 Jane (J.M.) Bedell spent her childhood daydreaming in hayfields, talking to cows, and finding her heroes between the pages of books. She is a full-time writer of historical fiction and nonfiction for children. She received her MFA in creative writing from Hamline University in Minnesota. She lives with her husband and two Siberian huskies in Portland, Oregon. Visit her at JMBedell.com. So, You Want to Be a Coder? Entering a Coding Career Question: How do you define hardware? ANSWER: IT’S THE PART OF A COMPUTER THAT YOU CAN KICK! Congratulations! You made an excellent choice. You picked up and opened a book that I hope will introduce you to a career that is exciting and challenging. And well paid too! When you think about writing code, you probably dream about designing an action-packed video game riddled with warriors, heroes, monsters, or trolls; building a robot that can walk the dog and take out the trash; or developing the machines that will put a human colony on Mars. Any one of these dreams is within your grasp if you decide that becoming a programmer is the right career for you. Today, a large part of our world is built on code. From the first computers that could add and subtract numbers, to the code that directed the Philae lander to set down on a comet that was flying at eleven thousand miles per hour through space, the people who write computer code are the driving force behind new innovations around the world. In our internet age, every company from food producers to sportswear manufacturers is a technical company. Businesses need websites to promote their products. Banks need new ways to protect their customers’ business transactions. Governments need help organizing all the information that comes to them each day. And everyone wants their identities protected, their packages delivered fast, and their movies streaming without a glitch. There are toy race cars that use artificial intelligence