Everyone Starts Somewhere…..

Every expert was a beginner at one time, and there’s no better time to remember this than right now – during Computer Science Education Week – when Microsoft is playing a lead role in supporting the Hour of Code campaign, spearheaded by Code.org.

Kids who try coding – even for just one hour – will find a whole new world of possibilities when they see how fun and exciting it can be to not only use technology, but to create it …. to bring their ideas to life through programming a new app or building a new game.

That’s why we care so much about increasing access to computer science education for all kids in all parts of the world, and I’m very proud of the Microsoft employees who’ve mobilized Hour of Code events and programs this week in more than 50 countries around the world.

As part of our global YouthSpark initiative, thousands of Microsoft employees are encouraging and inspiring kids to code from Redmond to Riyadh to Rome. They’ve built great educational tools like Touch Develop and Kodu, they’re holding coding workshops at Microsoft Stores, they’re speaking to hundreds of classrooms via Skype to describe what it’s like to work in the tech field – including Minecraft lead developer Jens Bergensten – and they’re going to schools and community centers across the U.S. and around the world to help kids with their first Hour of Code.

Microsoft employees from all fields and geographies are pulling out all the stops to help Code.org reach its goal of getting 100 million kids to try coding …. and this includes our CEO, Satya Nadella, who visited The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology in the Bronx today to recognize an amazing group of teenagers who are already on their way to becoming tech innovators. Indeed, Satya said it best, “Computer science can unlock the best opportunities in the world,” and we’re thrilled to help kids get their start today, this week, with just one Hour of Code.

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