A 12-year-old App Developer
Welcome back, incredible BookDuck fans. Are you a fan of programming and want to know how you can start your first steps? Well, then, let's hear 12-year-old Thomas Suarezs' TED talk, where he speaks about his inspiring journey of becoming an app developer.
Suarez begins his speech by introducing himself and sharing his passion for technology. He shows two apps that he has programmed. He says he often got asked how he made them. The people who ask such questions are the ones that also want to make an app. Many kids like to play games, but now, they also want to make them, which is difficult because only a few kids know where they can find out about programming, especially when it comes to apps. Where do you go to find out how to make an app? Well, Suarez talks about his approach.
First, he has been programming in multiple programming languages, such as Python, Java, etc., just to get the basics down. Then, Apple released the iPhone, and with it, there was the iPhone software development kit, a suite of tools for creating and programming an iPhone app. This opened up a new world of possibilities for him. After playing with the software development kit a little bit, he made a couple of apps. One of his apps was called "Earth Fortune," and he convinced his parents to pay the 99-dollar fee to be able to put the app on the App Store. They agreed, and now he has apps in the App Store.
Next, he speaks about the importance of encouragement from family, friends, and teachers. He says he has gotten a lot of it from family and even people at the Apple Store, and that's been a huge help to him. He says he has gotten a lot of inspiration from Steve Jobs, and he even started an app club at school, and his teacher is kindly sponsoring it. Any student is allowed to attend and learn how to design an app. This is so that he can share his experiences with others.
Lastly, he talks about programs such as the Ipad Pilot Program, which only a few districts can access. He is fortunate enough to be part of one. A big challenge with those is the use, and what apps should be put on them. So they are getting feedback from teachers to see what kind of apps they would like. Once the apps are designed and sold, they will be free for local districts, and all the money from the sales to foreign districts will go into the local education foundations.
Nowadays, students know more about technology than teachers. Therefore, this would be a great resource for teachers; they should recognize this resource and make good use of it.
He ends his speech by talking about his desires for the future. He would like to create more apps, and more games, get into Android programming and development, and continue his app club.
To sum up, age should not be a restriction for people who want to succeed. Based on Suarezs' example, we can learn that hard work, desire, and encouragement from others are all that is needed for a person to reach their goals. So, if you thought you were too young to start something big, then you were wrong. If you have the desire, then go for it; you can do anything if you believe in yourself.
