WATCH: Can Bill Gates, will.i.am, and Mark Zuckerberg inspire a new generation of coders?

Code.org taps a few big names to get kids to consider a career in the computer sciences

Will.i.am
(Image credit: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for TRANS4M)

Ask a kid what she wants to be when she grows up, and she'll probably say something ambitious — astronaut! president! — or practical and ubiquitous — lawyer! doctor! But ask directly if our little bright-eyed youngster would consider a career as a computer programmer, and she's likely to respond: "Huh?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.