100 Girls of Code

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Avery Santin, a student, says, "We have so much technology that it would be kind of weird if you didn’t know how to code because you’d be a little lost."

That’s why Avery, 11, is at a girls-only workshop hosted by the Tennessee Code Academy.

Jamie Hampton, a speaker with 100 Girls of Code, says, "We’ve had a lack of women in engineering and computer science, and the demographic of white males in Google is astounding."

But organizers here want to change that, and so does Avery.

Avery adds, "It’s kind of a waste if just men are doing it because women can bring something else into the field as well."

Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, websites, and apps.

Hampton adds, "Coding is just a language. If you can learn a language, you can learn coding. It’s the same thing."

It’s a language that Trinity Baxter, 11, is also picking up quickly.

Baxter adds, "I think it’s really cool and it’s interesting."

Organizers believe these workshops across the state of Tennessee will create a new movement and change history.

Hampton adds, "I think they’re starting a new wave of women going into coding and science and technology degrees. And I think that it’s important to the modern women’s movement."

Not only are there plenty of jobs out there, but according to indeed.com, the average salary for a computer code writer is $81,000.

Katy Campen with 100 Girls of Code, says, "There’s lot of jobs out there and we’d be happy to fill them with Tennessee women."

The Tennessee Code Academy says their goal is to introduce at least one hundred girls across the state to computer programming during a month-long tour.