The Learn to Code Movement
As the number of companies utilizing the cloud, smartphones and API's grow, the demand for skilled programmers is increasing but there is a problem. There aren't enough developers to go around. By 2018, there will be more than 1.4 million job openings in the IT sector. Companies are desperate to build their products yet the numbers of CS graduates, self-taught developers and number of H-1b visas to bring in overseas talent don't add up. In fact, It's not only Silicon Valley; the shortage of programmers is being felt worldwide. With 50% of higher education institutions planning to take their coursework online in the next ten years, how people learn new skills is rapidly changing. This panel of experts will explore the opportunities of learning to program, career options and the outcome of the growing online market for education.
Presenters
Adria Richards works as a Developer Evangelist at SendGrid. She is a self proclaimed geek with a vision to empower the world through technology. Growing up in Minnesota, she moved to San Francisco in 2010 to be immersed in her craft. Adria was interviewed on the Rachel Maddow show for discovering an insecure donation website run by the Senator.
Adria is known for her advocacy of cloud apps, workplace productivity and digital equality. She has been described by others as endlessly enthusiastic, helpful, empowering, encouraging, inspirational, optimistic, deeply technical, loyal, someone who is able to emotionally connect with others, joyful and as someone who has the uncanny ability to draw parallels between technology and real life.
She has delivered training and technology services for Fortune 500 companies and startups including Apple, John Deere, Equinox and Zendesk. Adria's passion for technology has led to a loyal following on her YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/adriarichards) with more than 1.5 million views and opportunities with major brands including Dell, CDW, Motorola, Samsung and T-Mobile. Before this, Adria worked for Geeksquad and American Express as a network support engineer in Minnesota.
She has spoken at major conferences including SXSW, O'Reilly Web 2.0, BlogHer, as well as through media outlets including The Rachel Maddow show, NPR, Inc.com, ComputerWorld and Black Enterprise Magazine.
Noah Kagan is one of the top rated burrito connoisseurs across the globe.
Besides doing that he was #30 at Facebook, #4 at Mint and has since created two multi-million dollar businesses.
His latest obsession is AppSumo.com (with over 700,000+ active Sumo-lings) helps any entrepreneur create their own profitable business.
Sasha Laundy is the education specialist at Codecademy in NYC, a platform to make and learn from interactive tutorials. Millions of users in more than 100 countries have taken lessons in JavaScript, Ruby, Python, HTML, and CSS. Students in many industries have used their learning to change jobs and careers, or become more valuable in their own industries.
Previously, she worked at Twilio in San Francisco, and founded Women Who Code which connects 2,500 woman developers in the Bay Area for hack nights, technical talks, and language-specific groups. Before working in tech, Sasha taught physics and neuroscience to high school students.
Friday, March 8
