Why I'm Glad I Learned to Program – A Blog Post for Your Kids

The linked article requires a medium account to read, so it stops mid-litany of computer embeds.

I'll just share that when I was using my Imsai 8080 to do work stuff with instant turnaround, I suggested to my boss that he get something like a TRS-80, to learn about computers ( not just programming, which the mainframe let you do ) "before they become too complex to understand at all" ... which they did. ( Raspberry Pi? )

The language part did get easier and way more interesting, as discussions here have demonstrated. :-)

The article is behind a paywall after the first several paragraphs. Based on the title and what's available, here's what I have to offer:

Children should learn the beauty of mathematics. But like any subject, don't needlessly force them where they don't want to go.

Today's culture in America seems to push STEM above all else. This is good for setting students up to succeed financially in the world, but we should be encouraging our children to become well-rounded individuals in all regards. People can learn to code in college or later. But some things are very difficult outside of formative years:

- Having the experience of reading an influential book as a teenager

- Learn a foreign language at a young age

- Becoming highly proficient in a skill (playing an instrument, playing a sport)

Let kids focus on the wonders and joys of the liberal arts in childhood. Dose in some STEM here and there. But don't sit them down in front of a computer and convince them that typing computer code anti-socially is the way to become a well-rounded individual.

https://hachyderm.io/@inthehands/110390739226017146