PORT TOWNSEND — Four public demonstrations on the value of a future in computer programming will take place in East Jefferson County next week as part of the international Hour of Code campaign.
“People have heard war stories about computer programming and are afraid to try it themselves,” said Jay Bakst of Port Ludlow, who is coordinating the events.
“There is a big gap in Washington state between the number of jobs available and the people who can do them, so there are lots of opportunities.”
Hour of Code events
The first event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
The other three events all occur Dec. 12: from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St., Port Townsend; from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101; and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Port Townsend Farmers Market at the corner of Lawrence and Tyler Streets.
Each event will provide participants with instructions about programming, using exercises based on the “Star Wars” and “Frozen” movies.
“There is a new Star Wars movie coming out which is going to be really popular,” Bakst said.
“These exercises will get people interested and let them know what they can accomplish.”
During the exercises each participant will have the opportunity to interact with a programmer who will answer questions and discuss opportunities.
“Everyone knows how to use a phone app,” Bakst said.
“We will demonstrate how easy it is to build them.”
District activities
In addition to the public events, the three East Jefferson County school districts — Port Townsend, Chimacum and Quilcene — are coordinating activities designed to attract and introduce more than 200 students from Port Townsend to Quilcene to computer programming, said Bakst, who is now a consultant after a long career in IT.
“Currently, there are 20,000 computer programming jobs unfilled in Washington state and dozens in Jefferson County alone,” Bakst said.
“And it is getting worse. By 2020, there is expected to be a national shortage of 1.4 million computer programmers.”
There are often no educational requirements for a job in computer programming because many people are self taught, and those who need specific instruction have several options, Bakst said.
These range from attending continuing education classes to getting a four-year college degree in computer science, he said.
Web design is one of the biggest opportunities for new programmers while jobs in manufacturing and for large organizations almost always are available, he said.
“There are programming jobs in Jefferson County, but if someone wants to move to Seattle or any other large city, there are always lots of opportunities,” he said.
The Hour of Code, started in 2013 by nonprofit Code.org, is an international effort providing tools and tutorials to introduce people young and old to computer science, with more than 70,000 events impacting tens of millions of students, according to its website.
Hour of Code provides a secure environment for introducing people to the nuts and bolts of information technology, Bakst said.
This is the first year the program has been used in Jefferson County, which has modeled its offerings after those previously available in Kitsap County, Bakst said.
There is no template for those best equipped for a programming job, Bakst said, adding that a logical mind, the ability to follow procedures and a certain level of detail orientation are valuable traits.
Bakst said he will make a proactive effort to contact event attendees who show an interest in programming, providing information and options for making it a career path.
“We will follow up with everyone who’s interested. People won’t need to wait to get more information,” Bakst said.
“Next week, the purpose is to get people to try this out, learning that it is something they can do that is fun and interesting.”
For more information, contact Bakst at 253-709-2850 or info@raviyah.com.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
