Capitalizing on the American Lifestyle by Christian

Capitalizing on the American Lifestyle by Christian - August 2015 Scholarship Essay

In a world that revolves around technology, it is hard to believe that some American high schools do not offer multiple courses in computer science, particularly computer programming. People all over the United States own smartphones and tablets and use them alongside their computers to do work or to simply seek entertainment. It is also hard to deny that iOS and Android are a growing platforms and that many people are glued to their cell phones. Nowadays, almost everything requires some sort of computer programming. Technology has gotten a lot more attention over the past decade, so why are there a limited amount of classes about computer science in the American high school curriculum?

Computer science involves programming, which is the process of teaching a computer how to do something. It is a daunting subject for someone that has no background experience with computers, whether it is the hardware aspect or software aspect. The natural thing for the average person to do is to associate computer science with figuring out complex codes and algorithms when it is actually more about the process of solving problems. When people look at code for the first time, they typically do not understand it simply because its syntax is different from the English language, not because it contains complex algorithms. Computer syntax is almost like a different language, and there are many different ways to syntactically write code. These assumptions cause students to avoid learning about computer science because they feel incapable of excelling.

I like to think of computer science as a way of expressing creativity and building an imagination. Writing code is like writing a poem, a song, or an essay. It must be structured in a logical manner in order for it to function properly. Computer science starts off very intimidating, but with practice, anyone can get used to it just like any other activity. From my personal experience, I think that the worst situation any high school student can go through is not knowing what he or she wants to study in the future. No high school student ever wants to be lost or unsure of what they want to do in college, especially considering the cost of tuition and other indirect fees of going to an American university. I briefly learned about the field of computer science during the end of my junior year of high school through a sponsored video on YouTube called “What Most Schools Don’t Teach.” After watching that video, I wished that I learned about the field of computer science a lot earlier in my life. Coming from a high school that did not offer AP Computer Science, let alone only five AP classes, it was hard for me to figure out what I wanted to study in college, so I was lost. I am thankful that I found that particular video because watching it solidified my desire to major in computer science in college.

The American high school curriculum should include computer science as a subject because it builds critical thinking skills. One of the most important criteria that high schools should follow is to challenge students to think outside the box. In an English class, students use critical thinking to analyze literature in essays or in discussion. In a math class, students use critical thinking to solve numerical word problems. In a computer science class, students use critical thinking to solve problems of all varieties, whether they are numerical or logical. Computer science is a special subject because all it requires is a computer. As long as someone has a computer, he or she can create something from scratch because all of the tools are virtual. The computer science industry lacks an adequate amount of qualified workers, but there are many job openings for people who know how to code. Since software is becoming more central and relevant in the American lifestyle, coding is becoming a special skill for people to have in the workforce. With today’s American lifestyle, software can do anything possible. Its functionality is only limited by a programmer’s creativity and imagination.