Kevin Hoctor, Chief Cook and Bottle Washer for a small software company (actually founder and lead developer), has this advice for young people who want to make apps.
Find something in your life that is broken and build software around that. Don’t just build an app for money, you won’t enjoy maintaining it. Instead, create apps that you are passionate about and strive to make the experience using your apps delightful for your customers.
We should take that same advice in creating schools.
Incidentally, this interview is part of the App Camp for Girls project now asking for help on the Indiegogo site. They are “a non-profit organization that seeks to address the gender imbalance among software developers by giving girls the chance to learn how to build apps, to be inspired by women instructors, and to get exposure to software development as a career.”
The group has already met their original target (including, full disclosure, a relatively small amount from me) and has some great stretch goals to expand the project to other areas of the country and reach even more kids. Go read about them and kick in a few bucks if you are so inclined.