With each passing year, computers play a greater and greater role in our life. New programs and digital applications are being developed everyday, and while many of them are created by well-established companies, there are some truly remarkable stories about young people making millions with nothing more than their laptop, a lot of code, and an idea.
A number of teens have already taken advantage of the widespread use of technology by developing apps, programs, and web design services. Robert Nay developed the app Bubble Ball which was downloaded over 1 million times in its first two weeks. Nick D’Aloisio’s app Summly summarize news articles and was sold for $30 million, and Juliette Brindak’s website Miss O & Friends is worth over $10 million. None of them were over the age of 18 when they started.
While these teens are the exception, rather than the rule, their experiences highlight the way teenagers can take advantage of new programming resources. Today, teens and young adults don’t have to wait until college to take computer science classes. The Internet has made a significant amount of information available to everyone free of charge, and teens can use these resources to teach themselves how to code.
Admittedly, the prospect of learning computer programming without a teacher sounds pretty daunting. Fortunately, many of these online resources are designed for beginners. Code Academy walks the user through a series of lessons teaching them more and more about specific programming languages, and it’s entirely free. Professors from places like MIT and Stanford are posting lectures from their classes on YouTube, and online forums offer a great place to get feedback or help with specific problems.
Learning how to program opens up a world of possibilities. Teens who know how to build websites can provide design and maintenance services to local businesses, or like Juliette Brindak, they can build a website that offers its own service. Programming languages like Python, Ruby, Java, or C++ allow teens to build apps to help them with their work, or they can market those programs as products themselves.
It’s important to note, however, that creating an app isn’t going to happen overnight, and developing a million-dollar product is by no means guaranteed. Just like any skill, coding takes time and A LOT of practice. At the same time, however, learning how to program has never been easier, and with the right idea and a few lines of code, teens can be on their way to starting their first business.
