This year, a new programming club has started at Bob Jones. As a student-run initiative, Patriot Programming hopes to teach students in-depth knowledge about programming that they might not learn in a traditional classroom.

Leader and founder of the club Drew Crocker said, “Patriot Programming is a new extracurricular activity (as of 2021) that is dedicated to teaching others about all different kinds of programming technologies. This semester, we will be going in-depth into web development and its corresponding technologies (HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript). Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to work in teams and build an awesome website using all three languages. Web development is the perfect foundational point in starting a career in programming. It is easy to grasp, easy to work with, and easy to see your results. The websites that students create will be available on the internet for others to view! Patriot Programming is a hands-on course, so students will be able to do and learn at the same time. Patriot Programming is a commitment extracurricular. It is important to make sure that you are dedicated to attending the meetings. It can be difficult to catch up if you may have missed a few weeks.”

Learning programming has many benefits such as improving critical thinking and creativity. There is strong demand for coding-related jobs, and many of these skills can be useful for jobs not related to STEM or technology.

When asked, 70% of students said they had some type of programming experience. 61% of those students who said yes said that programming affected their future career choice, whether it related to programming or otherwise. Senior Joe Williams added that learning how to code ”provided me with a foundational-level knowledge of an admittedly critical skill, and might come in handy later down the line.”

Meetings occur every Thursday from 3:30-4:30 in room C126. Hope to see you there!