Coding: Not What You Think

Masi Barnes, Writer, photographer

Two former Bob Jones students Shane Fry and Falco Girgis came to Bob Jones today in celebration of Hour of Code, which is a week dedicated to learning code.  It’s a week that inspires students to consider careers in computer science and to help them realize that code is everywhere.

They talked to students about misconceptions about coding, how to get involved, and how they use coding every day. Girgis has created a 2D 3D video game called Elysian Shadows and Fry works in computer security, like defending blue prints and documents for the U.S.

Many students don’t realize that coding involves many different fields. Girgis said, “There’s so many things that go into gaming like audio, visuals, music, coding, and writing.” After leaving a job at Adtran to pursue his dream, Girgis raised money for the video game enterprise through Kickstarter.  “Our Adventures in Gaming vlog contributed to the success of our campaign because we already had a following on Youtube.”

Fry discussed the “internet of things.”  He described how code permeates every area of our lives and how high-paying jobs in fields like his are plentiful.  He concluded with an in-depth look at cybersecurity.

Fry explained that coding isn’t as scary and hard as people think, joking that “if Ashton Kutcher learned how to code, it’s obviously not hard.”

If you want get more information about coding, you can visit Code Academy or Code.org for more information.