Four brave students have stepped into their own private jungle this semester to wrestle with a python, and they are enjoying their experience. Those four students — senior Emily Meares, junior Spencer Smith, junior Logan Sanders, and sophomore Hart Nurnberg — have entered the world of coding, and Python is one of the challenges they are facing.

“In the coding class we are learning the Python language, practicing problems in CodeSkulptor and being assessed on our knowledge through quizzes and tests,” Meares said.

There is no Southeast of Saline teacher that has the experience to teach the coding class, so it is taken online in the computer lab.

“It’s independent. There is a ‘teacher’ who makes the videos, but there is no one to talk one-on-one with,” Smith said. “It is through a website called Edhesive. It is a lot like the Cloud County Community College courses because it is just a bunch of modules, little bits at a time.”

All of the students in the class said that they enjoyed it. 

“I like the problem-solving it involves,” Nurnberg said.

“It’s calming.  I get to figure out problems with a formal code,” Smith said.

“I like that I can work at my own pace and I can also work on my homework at home if needed,” Meares said.

“I enjoy learning about coding,” Sanders said.

While these students do enjoy the class, there is a down side to the class as well.

“The hardest thing about coding is that the smallest details such as a period or an extra space can mess up your code,” Meares said. “Coding takes a lot of patience because it can be very frustrating when the code doesn’t run properly.”

Even though coding may be frustrating at times, Nurnberg said he thought it was practical. He said he took the class because he was thinking about a career in software engineering. He has since changed his mind and is thinking about a career in the medical field, but he is still happy that he took the class because he has created some interesting projects.

“I’ve made a square root calculator and a program that tells you what the time will be in 15 minutes. I’m Bill Gates 2.0,” he said.

Meares and Smith took the class hoping that it would help them with future careers they may go into.

“I am not interested specifically in coding, but it might be helpful with engineering, which is what I’m interested in,” Smith said.

“I primarily took the coding class to help me with the field I am planning on going into. I want to pursue a criminal justice degree with an emphasis in digital forensics,” Meares said.