Get to know some of ’em in this series – we hope their stories inspire you as much as they inspire us.

Hi Grey! Could you introduce yourself?

“My name is Grey and I work as a software engineer at an open-source robotic software company. We develop software that makes robots smarter and easier to use and develop.

We give this software away for free to anyone who wants to take a look at it, see how it works, or even change it, and they don’t need our permission to alter it.”

What is it exactly that you do?

“My company has two products:

One of them is called ROS which stands for Robot Operating System. The goal of ROS is to make it easier to develop very sophisticated robots, specifically on the software side. ROS provides a framework for different components of a robot’s brain equivalent to be developed by different people and tie them all together into one system.

So if you’re an expert in computer vision, you can make a module for object recognition in ROS, then someone else who is an expert in motor control can take your module and put it into their robot so that their robot has the benefits of your computer vision expertise. It’s a way to allow large communities to collaborate on developing all sorts of robot systems.

The other product is a simulation software that allows people to physically simulate robots. For example, if you have an idea for a robot but you don’t want to buy parts right away because you want to test your idea out first, you can build your robot in our simulation software and test out whether it actually works before spending the money and putting in the work to build it.”

How and why did you decide to start programming?

“I actually got into software engineering somewhat late in my career.

In college, I did aerospace engineering and I originally wanted to be an astronaut! But then I learned more about aerospace engineering and decided that I should shift my focus away from human spaceflight to robots and maybe sending robots into outer space, since robots have a much easier time dealing with no oxygen or food in space, unlike humans.

After a year or two, I decided I liked robotics a lot. There’s just so many interesting things to do with robotics. A few years after that, I started getting into the software side of things.

It was in grad school when I was working on my robotics doctorate when I found myself writing a lot of software to try to make the work we were doing a lot easier. In fact, I was writing software for not just my own work, but software meant to help others with their work.

It felt like a calling that I want to write software to help people do and accomplish interesting things.”

What else do you enjoy about programming?

“I find programming to be very empowering because it’s sort of this almost limitless thing where you can make incredibly complex things that are very fast and intelligent.

A few lines of code have the potential to produce an incredible amount of value, and that value can be compounding.

For example, if I do something that has little value for many people, those many people can then add even more value on top of that, and then you have this domino effect where relatively small amounts of effort pile up into something really amazing.

I think software is somewhat unique in that sense where you get these just compounding returns on the effort that’s put into it.

Also, something I try to emphasise as a programmer is that you should try to be an ethical programmer. Try to focus on what it is you can do that makes things better [for others] instead of just benefiting some people at the expense of others.”

How did you decide to volunteer with Code in the Community?

“I’ve always wanted to do educational outreach; I find programming to be very empowering, and I want to see a more ethical industry.

I think it’s important to reach out to the demographics that are underrepresented in the industry and bring that empowerment to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it.

Code in the Community represented a very obvious opportunity for me to do just that.”

What has your experience volunteering with CITC been like so far?

“It’s been really great! It’s interesting to meet different kinds of kids. In any one class, you’ll come across all sorts of different personalities and levels of motivation or levels of interest. And each student has their own kind of interesting challenges.

For example, for the very motivated kids, it’s a challenge of how you guide them efficiently and effectively. For the less motivated kids, it’s a challenge of how you convince them that these problems that they’re working on are worth working on, and how you convince them to stay focused and apply themselves.

I try as much as possible to keep the students engaged and not just tell them what to do, but challenge them to think on their own and make guesses, even potentially wrong guesses.

It’s important to get through to the students that it’s okay for them to guess wrongly, that it’s better for them to make mistakes and find out that it’s wrong, and then understand why it’s wrong.

It’s much better than just shutting down and not even trying. It’s a very difficult thing to try and convince children that it’s okay to make mistakes.”

Do you have a favourite memory from volunteering with Code in the Community?

“In the first class that I ever taught, there was a very low motivation student who showed her disinterest from the first day and the entire duration of the class.

During lessons, she demanded very specific instructions every step of the way and she had no interest in thinking for herself.

At the end of the class, there was an exercise where the students had to draw shapes using Python, so I told her to go ahead and draw anything she felt like.

She kept refusing, saying, “No! No! You tell me what to draw!”, and I told her that that was her time to be creative.

Eventually, she asked whether she could draw a house, and when I told her that she could, her face lit up because she originally thought she had to draw a triangle or a square. It didn’t occur to her until then that she could really just go ahead and draw anything she felt like. Her entire demeanour flipped and she went about with much brute force at the keyboard, trying to figure out how to draw the lines to make the objects for her house.

It was amazing seeing that kind of transformation — from having absolute disinterest to suddenly realizing that there was actually something fun that she could do there, that the lesson could be interesting and engaging for her.

That was one of my favorite experiences. She wound up sticking with the class all the way to the end and through the remaining sessions for the term. She showed up every single day, and even though her motivation had highs and lows, she committed to being there. For someone who clearly originally had zero interest in being even present, I found [her transformation] just really great to see.”

What is your biggest takeaway from CITC? Any life lessons to share?

“Persistence is key.

Programming is inherently a very frustrating thing for humans to do because we need to speak the language of something that isn’t really human.

Computers are very literal and they will do the exact thing that we instruct them to do, nothing more and nothing less.

Humans aren’t used to being taken so literally so it can be very frustrating, especially because any time something isn’t going the way you intended, it’s your fault since you gave the wrong information, so that can be a difficult thing to cope with.

But I think it’s important to understand that those challenges are very natural; that everyone experiences them, though some struggle with them more than others, but it is still something we all have to deal with it and that we all can deal with.

We just need to exercise patience, be persistent and let ourselves believe that if we work at it enough, we can make the program that we wanted. Even if you don’t quite know what’s wrong with what you’ve been doing, you can still get there.

Programming exists at this intersection of art, science, creativity, engineering and logic. I really encourage everyone to learn programming even if you don’t plan on having a job that will specifically involve programming, because these skills are transferable and it’s a modern form of literacy that is valuable for exercising anywhere.”

Any advice for people looking for volunteer opportunities with CITC?

“Just enjoy it! You’re going to meet a lot of interesting kids, so try to have a good time with them.

Try not to be oppressive in the classroom because the kids are not always there voluntarily, and they don’t necessarily know what they’re getting themselves into, so be patient with them.

If it’s their first lesson and their first impression of coding is that it’s way too difficult or tedious, or just something that they don’t fit into, they’re going to close the door on programming which could have led to a lot of opportunities for them.

So as a volunteer, focus on making it a positive experience for them rather than trying to force the kids to learn everything at the rate that you want them to learn at.”

Finally, what is your dream project?

“Honestly, I really like the project that I’m working on right now for my company.

My project is about allowing robots to be aware of each other and get around other robots. There’s an issue where robots can’t really work with each other because they don’t talk to each other.

For example, in hospitals which use robots, sometimes when the robots go down the hallway in opposite directions, they’ll stop because they don’t know how to get around each other. This will cause traffic jams because they don’t know how to communicate with each other.

I really want to see robots work nicely with each other and be able to benefit society in a way that they can’t right now because of their limitations. I would like to open the robots up, make them more useful and broaden the possibilities.

I think I’m living my dream.”

The post Meet our #CodeintheCommunity Volunteers – Michael Grey: “Programming is a modern form of literacy, valuable for exercising anywhere” appeared first on Saturday Kids | Coding, Digital Literacy for Kids & Parents.

I’ll never forget. Even as I’m typing this, I’ll always look back and thank my lucky stars that I did whatever I did that day, that not a single action was out of place which would ultimately lead me exactly where I needed to be.

It all started with an optional networking event organised by Singapore Management University (SMU)’s Social Impact Catalyst, a student club focusing on social entrepreneurship and innovation. I had signed up for the networking event weeks before, but I specifically remember being rather busy at that point of time, so I was highly tempted to forgo the event altogether. It was my close friend whom I had signed up with who persuaded me to go with her and I relented, so I (somewhat begrudgingly) met her at school and we made our way to the venue together.

I vividly remember being separated from my friend and sitting with a small, pre-assigned group of students. Various industry leaders rotated among groups to sit in with us, share a bit about what they did and answer the various, pressing questions we had.

Out of all the amazing sharings by the industry leaders about the incredible work they did, the one which stood out the most to me was by Saturday Kids, represented by Shreya. I was in the midst of looking for an internship at that time, and I remember being so captivated by Saturday Kids that immediately after the event concluded, I approached Shreya and expressed my interest in interning here.

She was more than happy to offer me her name card, so I followed up with her the next day via email and the rest was history!

Why Saturday Kids?

What hooked me on Saturday Kids was hearing about Code in the Community, Saturday Kids’ free coding programme for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their mission statement was simple, yet exceedingly powerful — “Inspiring kids to use tech to create a better future for themselves and for others.”

“The cause resonated deeply with me – I loved the fact that they recognised the importance and benefits of digital literacy, and they wanted to bring this gift to children who otherwise would not have access to it. I loved how socio-economic differences would no longer be a factor in children having a chance to learn how to code, and that they could grow their soft skills like intellectual curiosity, creativity, perseverance and confidence, through realising that they had the power and ability to build and create amazing things.”

Additionally, as someone running a candle business that supports the Deaf community, I have (very big but lofty) dreams of one day transforming my business into a social enterprise, and I thought that there was no better way of learning the ropes and the makings of a social enterprise than to join one.

And thus, my journey began!

Day Zero

There were several concerns piling up in my mind and daunting me, especially in the days leading up to my first day:

1. This was essentially a coding school for kids, and I had no coding background whatsoever.
2. The fact that as I’m currently studying Business Management with a major in Human Resources, it made sense for me to apply for the role as a HR intern, yet, as there was no official HR department, my desired role did not exist. Instead, I was offered the role of a Marketing and Special Projects (whatever that meant at that time) intern, and I readily accepted as I was just so excited to intern at this amazing coding company slash social enterprise.
3. My first proper internship! What should I wear and how should I dress in a way which shows I’m stylish, yet professional and capable? (Looking back, this is highly laughable as I can count on both hands the number of times I’ve visited the office over the span of four months.)

A day in my life

I would have loved to share that my daily activities revolved around visiting the various classrooms, helping to prepare and set up for the annual open house, physically interacting with children or running around completing miscellaneous tasks like previous interns had experienced.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for me. COVID-19 ruined any possibility of these things taking place, so I worked from home a good 90% of the time.

But I can’t complain much. I cherished the extra hour of sleep on the time I would’ve spent travelling especially when times were busy. I enjoyed meeting colleagues in smaller groups when I did actually go to the office, and particularly liked being able to know them on a more personal level which a larger group setting would likely not have provided. Finally, even when the entire team was working remotely, I appreciated the conscious effort and activities planned which colleagues took to reach out to each other to stay connected and feel a little less isolated amidst the pandemic.

A typical day in the life of an intern during the pandemic comprised of me waking up at 9am to prepare for my weekly marketing meetings at 9.30am, having occasional check-ins with my mentor Yeehui, laying out my tasks for the day, and deciding how and when I would accomplish them.

It sounds boring, I know, that my routine was basically to wake up, attend meetings, do my work, sleep and repeat. But what helped tremendously was the fact that I could find purpose , joy and great satisfaction in my work.

Because I had indicated very high interest for any HR-related task, I remember the type of work I received being very diverse or chapalang, as I like to put it. Even though my stated role was a Marketing and Special Projects intern, I feel like I managed to dabble in a bit of everything, which was a huge plus as I got to experience the best of not just both, but ALL worlds. I was able to try out different tasks which spread across the various fields such as marketing, operations, research, communications, customer service and HR.

“In the working world, there’s hardly any opportunity to able to try out so many roles and see what suits one best, so I really appreciated being given the chance to help out in whichever department I was interested in so I could discover for myself what I liked and disliked about each field, and see what suited my character best.”

At Saturday Kids, you’re never confined or restricted to just one role or job, so you can prepare to try tons of new things and grow your skillsets.”

Barely two weeks into my internship, I remember finding myself helping Ryan who managed Customer Service to call up a list of parents and inform them about our decision to shift the upcoming June holiday camps online following the government’s sudden change in COVID-19 restrictions for enrichment classes. I remember being so terrified to dial each number – what if they got angry and yelled at me??? Fortunately, my worries were unfounded as the parents whom I spoke to were understanding and cooperative. An added plus was that having parents ask me other questions related to curriculum and such, I was forced to find the answers which simultaneously allowed me to learn a lot more about Saturday Kids. Forget employee handbooks, handling customer service is the most effective crash course on any company!

Some highlights:

Looking back, there are so, so, so many fond memories which I amassed over the course of my internship. I could ramble on for another paragraph about how much I love Saturday Kids’ company culture which is nurturing, collaborative, rewarding and fun, and indeed perfect for anyone looking to acquire many new hard and soft skills, and sharpen their existing skills. Unfortunately, I’m running out of words here, so you can enjoy reading about my favourite moments in bullet points.

• Meeting Yeehui, my lovely mentor for the first time and getting to know her better over lunch where she treated me to a bagel at Two Men Bagel house!
• Having a mini photoshoot in office with Amelia as I helped to model for the company’s new shirts.

  That was my first time meeting Amelia in person, and I got to make such a cool, new friend that day.

• Collaborating with Imagilabs, where I worked with international partners from Sweden, Japan and the US to produce some amazing and inspiring Tiktok videos! (Links to come – finally, my hours spent scrolling through Tiktok at night put to good use.)
• Leading my first Happy Hour where I planned Skribbl.io as our team-bonding activity and I received really positive feedback from my colleagues that they had a lot of fun!
• Having calls with my fellow intern Carmen that lasted over three hours because we were tasked to find out everything there is to know about Zoom functions, which later proved to be extremely valuable information for our special project. Don’t get me wrong, the calls were tedious and anything but fun, but Carmen and I bonded over the pain and I’m forever thankful for that.
• Heading down to the office with four others – Amelia, Carmen, Josh and Yeehui – on a Saturday to carry out our special project Ayo!, a virtual edu-tech festival which spanned eight hours. The five of us in office became true Saturday Kids that day, and I fondly remember us having heart-felt conversations as we worked to piece together a jigsaw puzzle during our lunch break.
• The one week that the team got to rest following Ayo! because they felt that we all deserved it. Bliss. Honestly, it really reflects how highly the company values its employees and the work everyone puts in, and that they recognise and appreciate everyone’s efforts, even the “lowly” interns. :”)
• The online farewell party for three teammates where we put together a video montage of their photo highlights and co-workers sending them their well wishes.

  We also had snacks and drinks delivered to our doorsteps (thank you John!)  so that everyone could celebrate their contributions to the company, and then move on to accomplishing even greater things.

• Finally, the sharing sessions during every Friday’s Happy Hour where we got to learn something interesting, be it a story or a skill from a random co-worker each week. I wasn’t there when Ryan conducted a dance class for everyone virtually, but I’m glad that I was there to hear about Shreya’s passion for Indian dance, and Clarice’s resin art business, just to name a few.

Valuable takeaways

1. The importance of networking. I understood this for myself even before I began my internship, and I really can’t fathom how different my life would have been had I not attended the networking event and mustered the courage to shamelessly approach Shreya about internship opportunities. Networking can do wonders for your career and personal relationships, and it is WORTH every ounce of fear it takes to pull yourself together to make the first move to approach someone and strike up a conversation with them.
2. Ask and you shall receive. Be it clarifications for the work you’re going to do, feedback on your tasks or performance, or even for help, ask and you shall receive. It’s a simple enough course of action, yet many don’t actually practice it, and I was guilty of it too. Initially when I was first given some projects to work on, I asked few to no questions about I was supposed to do. I did the tasks according to my own interpretation thinking I could get away with my creativity, but my lack of experience shone through as I ended up having to redo my tasks because they simply didn’t follow certain guidelines or frameworks. Asking questions can be intimidating because you’re afraid of seeming incompetent or hinting that you weren’t paying attention, but it will do wonders because it saves so much time on doing tasks the right way when there’s no miscommunication.
3. Tough times don’t last, tough people with an amazing support system do. There’s no point in sugarcoating the fact that there will often be times at Saturday Kids when work is more than hectic and tasks are piling sky-high. When I look back on those times, I don’t exactly remember each painstaking moment of suffering over a given assignment, drawling over what my next step would be. Instead, I remember texting my intern friends and asking them for advice or help, and even having random calls with them throughout the day just to do our work together and keep each others’ morales boosted.

   Sure, I could have finished my work on my own, but the restlessness and fatigue that we sometimes all shared served to foster camaraderie among us, and I am so thankful that I had friends to lean on for support every step of the way (special shoutout to my intern friends, you guys know who you are!).

4. If you’re looking for an internship here, be ready to grow. Like it or not, Saturday Kids is going to stretch you, and then stretch you even more, so take the time to breathe and appreciate the process. You’re going to learn so many new skills, see your work come to fruition, and also be part of such an amazing social cause. Trust me, you’re going come out of this internship feeling super accomplished and proud of how much you’ve grown. I know I have.

Somewhat new beginnings

All good things have to come to an end …. right? Except not quite.

Even though I didn’t manage to pick up coding during my time interning here, I have decided to come back as a volunteer for Code in the Community. I’m excited to pick up Scratch and Python, but even more so to pass on my newfound skills and knowledge to children who otherwise would not have had a chance at obtaining digital literacy. I can’t wait to meet children with so much ability, creativity and potential waiting to be shown to the world. There’s so many amazing possibilities in-store for them, and I can’t wait to return in October to directly be a part of this movement!

Finally, John mentioned during one particular Happy Hour that Saturday Kids is like family — no one ever really leaves even though they may graduate from it.

And for that, I’m ever thankful that I got to be a part of the alumni club.

The post Interning at a coding school for kids with zero coding background, and a role irrelevant to my major. appeared first on Saturday Kids | Coding, Digital Literacy for Kids & Parents.