CHAPTER ONE CODERS WANTED many people have some type of computer today Some have a desktop or laptop Others have a tablet or smartphone filled with apps People might even have more than one of these devices Computer code and the people who write it make these amazing machines possible Code is a list of commands that a computer follows Each command tells the computer to carry Tablets put powerful computer technology into portable easy to devices use
IN THE REAL WORLD Women Working for Google Google was founded in 1998 It creates Internet-related services and products It is one of the most influential tech companies in the world Google has come a long way in just a few decades Yet even at Google there is a large gap between men and women In 2014 only 17 percent of Google’s technical staff was female Google and other major tech companies are taking steps to hire more female employees out a specific task A computer program is a long list of code Web browsers apps and video games are examples of programs Programs are often made up of thousands of lines of code They are also known as software Code can be written in many different programming languages Each language has its own special format and style The people who use these languages are known as programmers or coders Teams of coders work together to build programs Coders give computers instructions they 6
Coders usually write programs on desktop or laptop computers can understand These people also fix the code when errors occur Personal computers would not exist without code The same is true of the Internet and video games Coding has improved our daily lives It helps bring us information and entertainment faster than ever It has changed the way the world works 7
