I am really starting to like the Codecademy tutorials. Even though they are novice at first, and many people already have a basic understanding of code, the first lessons help reinforce the idea that repetition is the best way to learn. I think that most people see coding and programming as some ethereal skill that only geniuses possess and that the language is unlearn-able for the masses. They are wrong, but as long as the myth persists and people stay unaware of some of the simplicity, they will always need others to do even basic coding.
I wish that the tutorials would go back to the basics every now and again, however, as I learn a lot through repetition. I liked that they made us do the basic <!DOCTYPE html> on the second go around, but after that they just assumed that you will remember it. Maybe if once a month they force you to redo an early tutorial or something of that sorts would keep people up-to-date. I don’t mean people that code for a living, but more like journalist and other people delving into coding to help enhance their main career.
I think that journalists can really make coding a part of their vernacular. We are expected to be masters of our language (even if we aren’t!) and having an understanding of coding will help us stay competitive in an era in which computers are becoming more and more of a necessary tool, rather than a luxury. All of the major publications have internet heavy platforms that really make the news reporting field infinitely better. As journalists, if we can’t understand how the news is delivered from us to our audience, I think that we are losing out on a great opportunity to make our product better. We should be well-versed in HTML and CSS because it is now a part of our craft, whether we wanted it to be or not. Thankfully, I enjoy it!