HSHSP Ep 148: Coding for Homeschool High Schoolers, Interview with Code Apprentice

Paul Drake of Code Apprentice joins Vicki for a discussion on ways to introduce your homeschool high schoolers to coding, and to bring them to expertise level.

Paul is a homeschool graduate. He homeschooled all the way through, including co-ops during high school. Paul’s mother believed that it was important to explore interests, so when he asked to explore website building. His mother hopped on it and found experiences for him.

Paul got his introduction to website building from his dad. His dad introduced Paul to John at Samaritan’s Purse, who became his mentor. Paul did a lot of his own personal training, but John inspired him and opened doors for him to work at Samaritan’s Purse as soon as he graduated from homeschooling.

Teens need to learn to network! Paul can attest to that. His experiences with networking made his after-high-school success possible. Paul points out that homeschooling high school set him up for confident networking because homeschool teens are not age-group isolated, but are often having chances to chat with others

• Talk to people older than you
• Spend time in different organizations (volunteering, asking questions)

Paul reminds us: You can absolutely get a job in tech without having to go to college and get a degree. 

There is greater demand for coders than there is supply. If you have built a portfolio in high school, you will be attractive to companies that need skilled coders.

Paul organization, Code Apprentice, helps teens build their coding skills, create portfolios AND work one-on-one with an expert mentor. Parents get progress reports and grades so that the training can be recorded on the transcript. Perfect for homeschool high schoolers!

Important goals of Code Apprentice is students obtain a *full stack coding education* and create an *end-to-end application* as they progress semester through semester during high school. Student develop a portfolio through project-based learning that makes them highly employable!

There are many resources for learning coding, Paul says coding training is available at:

• Code Apprentice
• Coding bootcamps
• Co-op classes
• Online courses
• Mentoring experiences
• Community college classes

Contact Paul Drake at info@CodeApprentice.tech

Visit CodeApprentice.tech for more information.

Join Vicki and Paul for an enlightening conversation.