Decoded: Bridging the Gap

In Filling the Gap, I wrote about a talent shortage in Digital Marketing and teaching young people how to code, to fill that gap and create work opportunities.

Before all that, I'd been thinking about another gap: That which exists between designers, project managers, account executives and coders. I've presented technology topics a few times, to rooms full of smart people who don't have firsthand exposure to how code works, much less how developers or manageable technology projects work.

And this month we have members of Congress expressing willful ignorance of how the Internet works and how SOPA legislation will destroy it. (via @daringfireball)

Today I heard of Decoded:

If so many people’s jobs are touched by the Internet and digital technology, then how come so few of us have even a basic understanding of how things work? This is the fundamental question behind a new course in the U.K. called Decoded, which promises to teach people how to code in one day.

There are plenty of courses and a seemingly endless series of conferences, workshops, and events that discuss “being more digital” and “integration” and which encourage a change of mindset. But really, if you are in the creative or communications industries on any level and you haven’t already addressed this, then what have you been doing for the last 5-10 years? Decoded’s aim is to go beyond changing mindsets and actually teach non-developers how to code. (via Fast Company)

The Web Design & Development community is really good at sharing knowledge through conferences, workshops, events, podcasts and collaboration. We're good at teaching each other. Reaching out to other groups and getting everyone working with web technology to understand it is not always a priority, especially in the client services space, where the emphasis is on billable time.

I've been logging bookmarks and thoughts on this subject for some time. It's an idea whose time has come. It's also about more than just understanding the tools and technology your teammates are using; equally important is understanding how to make the process work in a way that brings out the best in everyone.

I've had this idea simmering on the back burner for a while now. I think I need to move it up in the coming year.