How did you get into technology?
It is a question that has many different answers. But over the years, some familiar stories have surfaced that date back to middle school. Many of them involve taking old computers apart and putting them back together or building websites when no one else knows how. For the founders, there is an entrepreneurial story that went through the lemonade stand.
A young start is of course not the only way into technology. But early exposure continues to have a strong impact on career paths. Because of this, after-school STEM programs, coding courses, entrepreneurship summits, and robotics teams want to ensure that teens have the opportunity to explore this area right from the start. It’s not just about imparting technical know-how that can be useful for a future role, but also about life skills such as problem solving, design thinking and continuous learning.
Yet for all the inspiring stories and their importance, these programs are still not as commonplace as you might think. In many cases, technology is outside of the curriculum. At a time when there are more tech jobs than companies can fill, companies are devoting resources to empowering them, but change is slower.
What is required for a major model change? Ask a young person and they will usually tell you.
In September, Technically Reporters in Philly, Baltimore, DC, Delaware and Pittsburgh investigate how teenagers, teens and children are using technology and entrepreneurship about ours Youth Building the Future Month 2021. Look for stories about young people developing apps and businesses, preparing for STEM careers, and pursuing their interests from esports to coding. You can also search for guest posts written by these young people themselves. We will prioritize the voices of the youth in our reporting.
Some questions we want to answer: How are young people introduced to technology? How can teachers prepare their students for the industries of the future? Are young technologists optimistic or pessimistic about the future of technology and their own potential role in developing it?
And some recent youth-in-tech stories that we covered:
Are you or do you know an expert we should speak to? Is there a report we need to read to better explain this subject? Are you working on a product or a solution for the future of work? Would you like to write a first-person guest post about your relevant experience or share some relevant resources? Let us know:
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