MOTHER DAUGHTER DUO LEARN TO CODE WITH WE CAN CODE IT

Mother – Daughter Duo, Diane & Megan Korpics, have always shared a passion for learning.  As a homeschooling family, they were very familiar with the roles of teacher/student.  Now the two are back in the classroom, but this time Megan has a few tricks to share with her mom.

After graduating with a Chemical Engineering degree, Diane Korpics worked as a Reservoir Engineer with British Petroleum for 8 years before making the decision to put her career on hold to raise her daughters.  During this time, Diane homeschooled her girls while teaching math & science at a private school for homeschoolers.  Diane’s daughter, Megan, loved her homeschooling experience.  “It was a great fit, which allowed my love for learning to thrive. I primarily focused my studies around English, History & Language.  My education, however was very well-rounded, with intensive math courses and years of speech & debate providing me with skills in mathematics, logic and communication.”

In college, Megan chose to major in English and German and then, after graduation, headed off to Wyoming to become a substitute teacher and a horse wrangler! “I found a new outlet for my inclinations towards learning, teaching and hard work.”

While she enjoyed unique challenges and problems to be solved each day, Megan missed more intellectual challenges and decided to investigate other avenues for the future.

“My mom had urged me since high school to try out coding, insisting that it would be the perfect fit for me.” Megan reflected.  “A friend who also shared a similar background had recently attended We Can Code IT and was highly enthusiastic about her new career. I decided to start trying to learn some code on my own and began studying in the afternoons after school and horse training. I found it stimulating, challenging and addicting. “

“As I was deciding to take the bootcamp, I began a campaign to persuade my mom that she should do it with me. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t reminiscing fondly about her own coding days and how much she had loved coding. Not only would it be practical — we would have someone to both commute and study with — but it would also be a great time for her to return to the world of coding.”

Meanwhile, Diane was facing her own challenges.  “In 2012, my husband died of cancer. I have been busy teaching, taking care of my father until he passed in September, and just managing life since then, but decided it is time I get back to a substantial career. I considered pursuing a more lucrative teaching position as well as trying to re-enter the engineering field, but when I realized that my favorite part of engineering was coding, I decided I should change careers and follow this passion.”

We Can Code IT serves as a way for mom and daughter to pursue their passion together and to appreciate the joy of mutual growth and improvement.

Diane truly enjoys watching her daughter learn to code. “I think it is awesome! I am thrilled to see that Megan is as proficient at it as I thought she would be (and that she likes it!). It is wonderful to share the experience with her. Although I started out with a little more experience than Megan, she is so sharp that she doesn’t need my help. In fact, as we progress into areas where I do not have any experience, I ask her more questions than she asks me! “

“Honestly, it’s a lot of fun.” Megan agrees.  “It makes the commute much easier and more entertaining. If one of us doesn’t get much sleep, one person drives and the other naps. Then, when we have homework and projects for class, we can compare notes or help each other out with different aspects of the code. We actually don’t work together very much, but when questions do arise, it’s extremely convenient to have someone immediately available who can be looking at the same screen and code that you are.

“In addition, we also understand exactly what the other is going through; this enables us to offer a great deal of moral support. Sometimes you want someone to encourage you, and other times you just want someone to commiserate with how hard or frustrating your project is.”

Megan continues. “That isn’t to say that it doesn’t have minor challenges here and there. We encounter the same little hiccups that anybody would when you spend that much concentrated time with another person. Ultimately, though, I think it’s been a great experience, and I have deeply enjoyed the chance to form so many good memories with my mom.”

The two would encourage others to give coding a try. Megan suggests doing a little bit of coding to see how much you might like it.  “If you are considering programming and have never done it before, practice a bit on your own to gain a better understanding of what it is and how much you are willing to commit to it.  Be honest with yourself. Know how much time you have to commit to the program and how earnest you are about pursuing a career in programming. We Can Code IT takes a large amount of time and emotional energy. It will take sacrifice and discipline. At the end of the day, though, it is incredibly fun and well worth the effort!”

“It has been so fun to learn the modern languages and computing skills.” Diane reflects.  “Therefore, I would definitely encourage anyone who has had any experience with coding and already knows that they like it to take the bootcamp. But, in addition, after witnessing how competent the instructors are at teaching people who have never had any experience with it before at all, I would recommend it to anyone who is attracted to this field as long as they can be fully committed to the class: committed to learn, attend class, do all the homework and projects, complete all the career development tasks and network.”

Now’s your chance to sign up.  Give your mother or daughter the gift of coding this mother’s day!  Register for our New Summer Coding Series – 3 Day Coding Intensives to Fit the most-fun packed summer schedule!!

Students can get more information and take the free online assessment test at WeCanCodeIT.org.

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We Can Code IT is located in Cleveland and Columbus and teaches coding skills needed to enter the software development field. With a unique focus on diversity and inclusion, We Can Code IT reaches out to women and minorities underrepresented in the growing tech industry.  Interested students can take a free online assessment and register for full time or part time courses at WeCanCodeIT.org