Last night SproutBox hosted the first Code Year Meetup of  2012. We all congregated around our conference table, nibbled on cookies, and nerded it up with talk of code. After the beginning five lessons, old coders and new got together to discuss what they thought of the program, problems they are having, and what they hope to achieve from the program. The consensus of the group was Code Year is an awesome idea.

Code Year gives entrepreneurs with great ideas the opportunity to take these ideas to the next level, which is great when applying to SproutBox. Code Year allows coders to better their skills. It also gives the people who spend a lot of time on the computer who just want to learn more the chance to do just that.

We had some people who heard about Code Year who want to learn how to code but weren’t sure if Code Year was the way for them to go. The group discussed other learning tools for coders, such as: TreeHouse, Code School: especially their Rails for Zombies, in case Code Year isn’t for you or you want to learn more. These are just a few options but all are very similar to Code Year. With these programs you can progress at your own speed and choose what you learn.

It isn’t too late to join Code Year. Anyone can join for any reason. We were impressed with the turnout and the enthusiasm the group showed. It was great to see coders come together and help each other out. We’ll be holding another Meetup in the coming weeks, so make sure to follow us on twitter for more details! We hope to see you all there!

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How many of you have set a New Year’s Resolution and failed to keep it because you didn’t have enough help to get you over the hump, or maybe you didn’t keep it because there wasn’t anyone else pushing you or keeping you motivated? Maybe you didn’t keep it because when the task is out of sight, it’s out of mind. Well…lucky for all you coders and potential coders, Code Year is hoping to solve all of those problems for you this year–at least when it comes to learning to code.

Code Year, a project from Codecademy, promises to help the hundreds of thousands participants to learn enough code to build their own app or website by the end of 2012. Code Year bring lessons in the form of a game to participants each week through email. Participants started the year learning Javascript. The program awards badges to help keep the participants motivated.

So what connection does this have to SproutBox? Besides the fact that we think this is a totally awesome idea, we are going to host the first of many Code Year Meetups in Bloomington. Anyone who has signed up for Code Year (and yes, you can still sign up and start to learn how to code) will get together on February 7th, at 7pm at SproutBox and chat with other coders. We’ll have some developers here to help you solve that problem you just haven’t been able to figure out or give you insight and tips. We’ll give coders a chance to meet up with other coders and help each other out or show off what you’ve already learned. It’s always great to connect with someone trying to reach the same goal you are to help push you and keep you on the right track.

We are really excited to host this event. It allows our team to network and share the passion of development with participants and engage them in the Bloomington tech scene and even meet some of our Sprouts, like Squad. Code Year is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to learn how to code or even just to better your skills, so join us at the meetup and we’ll help you stick with your resolution!

Interested in joining Code Year? Make sure you sign up so you don’t get behind!

Make sure to RSVP and come join us!

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Brad shares what SproutBox is all about and his role within the company.

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