"Programming is difficult and only for nerds" – common misconceptions that IT specialist Alexander Hoffmann repeatedly encounters and wants to disprove. He does so with Munich's first programming café. To make this dream a reality, He has now launched a crowdfunding campaign on Startnext.
Why are surprisingly few people interested in programming, even though good and often free online courses are available at any time as a learning opportunity and you can also earn quite good money from it?
As part of an APE program of the SCE Alexander Hoffmann investigated this question and saw the solution in bringing people with IT expertise together with those who could benefit from their knowledge, with delicious food. During the test phase, he put various matching systems to the test:
"The first test was a success. We met in the English Garden: the IT experts were fed and the IT problems were solved, so everyone was happy. For the second test, we were on the lawn at Königsplatz. But there were six IT experts there, but unfortunately almost no IT problems that needed to be solved. The third test, however, was again an imbalance: I sold food, and the people with IT problems were supposed to buy the food from me to then give it to the IT experts. The problem: 30 IT problems, but only two IT people who were even slightly hungry/thirstful. Since then, we've specialized in programming courses."
The conclusion of these tests: Food brings people together, creates a relaxed atmosphere, and thus reduces fears of technology. The feel-good atmosphere and the quick sense of achievement have become the secret recipe of the initiative founded by Alexander. COOK and CODE.
But the regularly scheduled courses—including courses on WordPress, HTML, and web design—are just the beginning. Alexander envisions a permanent institution:
With the Programming Café we want to Lighthouse of programming help We create, always provide advice and support when questions arise, break down barriers to contact, and whet your appetite for more. In a pleasant atmosphere and with nice people.
To make this project a success, he's relying on the crowd. He's set a goal of raising €40,000 through the recently launched Startnext campaign. As a thank you, his supporters can receive, among other things, a cookbook titled "HTML for Gourmets"—what else? For a not-so-insignificant contribution, generous donors can even look forward to a spaetzle-making robot. However, this is currently being developed by students at the TUM Makerspace in Garching. Perhaps the cookbook would be better, then...
Here you can support Alexander Hoffmann on his way to becoming Germany’s first programming café.
