Why I Teach Programming

One of the things I love about programming is that you don’t have to be a prodigy or a genius to become a great programmer. You become a programmer by practicing, the same way you become a guitarist by playing guitar.

The best programmers I know saw something they wanted to do, found people to help them, and went for it. Some went to school for Computer Science and some didn’t. But what they all have in common is that they saw it as a medium to express themselves, and make things they cared about. Myself included.

How I Started

When I was at SDSU, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I knew that I needed some kind of experience, or I’d look pretty bland to employers. I talked to several research professors. Eventually, one of them gave me a chance and set me up with a mentor. The plan was, I would help my mentor train computers to categorize different proteins on viruses. In return, he’d teach me the ropes, and help me when I got stuck.

That time changed my life. I never thought I’d be working on some Artificial Intelligence thing, but there I was. Learning, asking questions, and growing in ways I never would have on my own.

A Mentor Made A Huge Difference

Over the next two years, I went from being a complete novice to a far better coder, and giving award-winning presentations on my research.

Over and over, I’d get stuck on a problem, bang my head agaist a wall, bring it to my mentor, and we’d figure it out.

After that, the same was true in industry. You grow by struggling through problems. But you can find people to help you grow; people who have been stuck just like you, countless times.

A Passion for Teaching

It’s so awesome for me when I’m teaching a student, and it really starts to click. They realize that all these concepts fit together. That when they want to solve a problem, they can use this thing they learned a while back, and that technique they just learned. Their faces light up when they find that programming is like playing with digital Legos, and that they can fit these pieces together, to make something cool.

That joy of discovery and expression just gets better and better. And when I see my students get excited and start to feel that joy, it makes my heart sing. 🙂

Why I’m Different

My lessons stand out because I truly care about my students, am passionate about their progress, and help them to make the things they want and care about! Lessons are fun,  full of joy and lots of goofiness. My students view me as a friend and really love coming to me every week, because I’m not just a teacher, I’m also a mentor who gets invested in their success!

Dreams

My dreams for the future include releasing my awesome indie game (currently in production), becoming a better musician and going on tour as the next Weird Al with my awesome programming-themed parody music. (The Weird Alpacas is my dream band name). And teaching you, of course!

Happy Coding!