With over 120,000 open technology jobs in the U.S. alone, skilled and trained professionals are needed to take businesses and technology to the next level. There are organizations, such as Code.org, that have enlisted celebrities to learn code. With their influence, they are able to encourage others, particularly minorities in tech, to follow their lead.
Some celebs have unexpected backgrounds in technology, others are learning code for the first time. The range of individuals advocating for diversity in computing spans industries and age brackets—and some of them may surprise you!
Jimmy Fallon
Before he was on SNL and the Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and work at IBM. He studied computer science and learned how to code in C++ and a few other programming languages at Albany’s College of Saint Rose. In the end, he decided to drop out of school before finishing in order to pursue his career in comedy.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is not only an excellent tennis player, but she is a coder as well. After launching her online business, Serena found that learning how to code was and still is an invaluable skill to have in your back pocket. In a Teen Vogue interview, Serena said, “Coding is really important to me, especially because my fashion business is all online. It’s never too late to start.” As of today, Serena is also an avid investor in several technology companies through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures.
Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh, who is an NBA champ with the Miami Heat, grew up in a tech-savvy household. In high school he was a member of Wizkids, a computer graphics club, the Association of Minority Engineers, and NSBE (the National Society of Black Engineers). When he attended Georgia Tech, he began writing computer code until breakout performance on the university basketball team, where he entered the NBA before finishing his degree. Programming is still very important to Bosh and he did take a crash course in programming and is very comfortable with HTML. He is a supporter and advocate for Code.org.
Karlie Kloss
Karlie Kloss is best known for her model career, however, Kloss is also a computer programmer. She is highly skilled in web development and is passionate about sharing tech knowledge with others. In 2015 she launched Kode with Klossy, a summer coding camp for kids where they can learn more about web development, coding languages, building apps and AI.
While the skills and interests of these celebrities are all different, one thing is clear, almost anyone can learn to code if you hvae the patience and dedication! If you're looking to get your child invovled in coding, check out our summer camps!