In celebration of Engineers Week 2022, Code Ninjas franchise owner Swathi Bhamidipati took her team to a local school campus to give them a sampling of coding and robotics. Engineers Week is a national initiative led by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) to enhance interest and understanding of engineering and technology careers.
On February 24, Code Ninjas hosted the third and fourth grade students at St. Hedwig’s Parish School with a hands-on STEM education lesson.
STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The third graders learned how to code a video game using Scratch, a program from MIT, while the fourth grade students designed a 3D nametag using Tinker CAD. After partaking in the activities led on their Chromebooks, the students were invited to tryout robotics building kits (Spheros, Robomaster, and Lego Robotics).
Fourth grader Olivia Sotomayor shared, “It’s always fun to make stuff and with the technology, it’s super fun.”
Bhamidipati, an electrical engineer herself, opened Code Ninjas to help enhance children’s technology skills that will prepare them for the future.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs that fall under the STEM umbrella grew 23.1% in the last decade and will grow 10.5% by 2030 with a million new jobs. This is compared to 7.5% growth for non-STEM jobs.
“We need to make sure our young people are learning the skills they need to be competitive in a 21st century workforce,” said Bhamidipati. “Think of all the technology we adopted during COVID. All of that advancement required coders, programmers, and other tech specialists.”
In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that information, and scientific/technical services were the only two sectors out of 20 that gained a better job outlook because of COVID.
Bhamidipati added, “Not only will they have jobs, these are good paying jobs—more than double the current U.S. average salary.”
Annual salary in the United States is $41,950, and the average annual wage for STEM workers (including doctors) is $89,780.
Bhamidipati is an electrical engineer herself and found that by opening a Code Ninjas location she can make an impact appropriately training a 21st century workforce.
“Only one-third of California high schools teach computer science, and then, only 3% of students are taking the classes,” Bhamidipati said. “We have to start children long before high school and making it fun is the best way to engage these kids and keep them interested and curious. The skills will transfer to other disciplines, they don’t have to want to design robots or video games to use these skills.”
Code Ninjas was founded in 2016 and is designed to mirror advancement as if learning martial arts in a dojo. The children move through nine levels starting with a white belt and progress through more challenging levels, ultimately reaching black belt. Instead of belts, these coding ninjas are identified by their colored wristbands and the satisfaction of attaining new skills. Keep the kicking and chopping at home, though, because all of the coding is taught around building video games.
Not only are they learning coding language, through the exercises they learn problem-solving skills, teamwork, and building self-confidence, just like a ninja! The curriculum is self-paced, but not self-taught. Ninjas in training receive immediate help and encouragement from “Code Sanseis” (sensei is Japanese for teacher) and fellow students as they progress and each level advancement warrants a celebration.
In celebration of Engineers Week, the Code Ninjas Los Alamitos-Cypress location is offering a fourth week of full-day summer camp free to anyone who calls before March 31 and books three weeks of full-day summer camp. Offer cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. To enroll in summer camps or after school programs, call the Los Alamitos-Cypress Code Ninjas location at (562) 249-6242, For more information, visit https://www.codeninjas.com/locations/ca-los-alamitos-cypress.