A mother’s search for better pay led to an unexpected discovery. Sharen Eddings needed more income to support her three children. Traditional jobs weren’t cutting it. Healthcare costs kept rising. Bills piled up.
Then she found programming books at her local library. What started as desperate self-study would transform into something bigger. Her breakthrough became a blueprint for teaching children to code.
But Eddings didn’t just learn programming—she reimagined how kids could learn it too. Instead of battling her son’s gaming habits, she converted that screen time into skill-building time. Her approach would challenge conventional wisdom about children and technology.
Today, hundreds of students create websites and games through her program. They’re not just playing on computers anymore. They’re building the future.
Single Mom Discovers Coding at Local Library
Financial pressure drove Sharen Eddings to seek alternatives when traditional career paths failed to provide adequate income for her family of four. As a mother of three children, healthcare costs and basic living expenses stretched beyond what conventional employment could cover in her community.
Computer programming books at her local library caught her attention during one particularly difficult period. Self-teaching seemed like her only option for acquiring new skills without the expensive formal education that her budget couldn’t accommodate.
Hours spent studying coding languages and practicing programming exercises gradually built confidence in her abilities. Each successful project completion reinforced her belief that technology skills could provide the career transformation her family desperately needed.
“I saw a lot of potential with the subject matter and decided to put what I learned into my resume. Two weeks later, I landed myself a job at a tech company, and it has changed my life ever since,” Eddings recalled about her rapid transition from library learner to employed programmer.
Programming Skills Shatter Career Barriers
Working in technology revealed opportunities that previous employment experiences had never offered. Tech companies valued problem-solving abilities and creative thinking over traditional credentials that had previously limited her advancement prospects.
Flexible working arrangements allowed Eddings to maintain her role as primary caregiver while building a successful career. Remote work options eliminated commuting costs and childcare complications that often prevent single mothers from pursuing demanding professional positions.
Company culture in technology firms embraced family responsibilities rather than viewing them as professional limitations. Colleagues showed genuine interest in her children and supported her need to balance work commitments with parenting duties.
“Freedom” became Eddings’ definition of career success after experiencing the autonomy that programming skills provided. Financial stability combined with schedule flexibility gave her control over family decisions that had previously been dictated by economic necessity.
Weekend Lessons Grow Into Full Program
Sharing programming knowledge with her children seemed natural after experiencing career benefits firsthand. Teaching basic coding concepts to her son and his friends started as informal weekend activities that gradually developed into structured learning sessions.
“I started small with just my son and his classmates four years ago. Then, I started to volunteer in different schools, which soon turned into an after-school program,” Eddings explained about her program’s organic growth from family activity to educational initiative.
Enthusiasm among young students exceeded all expectations as word spread about coding lessons. Children who initially attended as friends of her son began recruiting other classmates, creating demand that quickly outgrew available space and instructor capacity.
Student enrollment jumped from fifteen participants to twenty-five as children found creative ways to attend sessions. Some kids sneaked into her classroom because they didn’t want to miss learning opportunities that felt more like play than traditional education.
Pandemic Forces Creative Online Solutions
COVID-19 restrictions forced the rapid adaptation of in-person programming classes to virtual formats. Rather than simply transferring existing curriculum to video calls, Eddings recognized that online learning required completely different engagement strategies for children.
Custom software development became necessary to maintain student attention and interaction through digital platforms. Her programming background enabled the creation of specialized tools designed specifically for young learners in virtual environments.
Structured lesson plans included eight-minute typing exercises followed by introductory videos explaining daily objectives and activities. Hour-long sessions balanced technical instruction with interactive elements that prevented screen fatigue common in remote learning situations.
Student engagement remained high despite physical separation because customized software addressed the specific needs of children learning complex technical subjects through computers. Personal attention and immediate feedback replicated classroom experiences that generic video conferencing couldn’t provide.
Kids Build Real Websites and Games
Weekly creative application sessions transformed abstract programming concepts into tangible projects that students could share with family and friends. “Free Fridays” encouraged experimentation and personal expression using skills learned throughout each week.
Project-based learning demonstrated real-world applications of coding knowledge through web design, game development, and user interface creation. Students gained confidence by building actual digital products rather than completing theoretical exercises with no practical purpose.
One particularly ambitious student recreated a complete bridal website interface during an after-school program session. Such achievements proved that children could master complex technical skills when given appropriate guidance and creative freedom to explore their interests.
Hands-on project work helped students visualize career possibilities in technology fields. Seeing immediate results from their coding efforts motivated continued learning and skill development beyond basic programming syntax and commands.
Video Game Obsession Powers Programming Success
Rather than fighting against children’s natural attraction to digital entertainment, Eddings discovered ways to channel gaming enthusiasm into productive skill development. Students who spent hours playing video games possessed exactly the type of persistent problem-solving mindset that programming required.
Children addicted to gaming already understand concepts like level progression, achievement systems, and iterative improvement that form the foundation of successful coding practices. Converting entertainment habits into educational activities proved more effective than trying to eliminate screen time.
Critical thinking and logical reasoning skills developed naturally through programming exercises that felt like puzzle-solving games. Students learned to break complex problems into manageable steps while building patience for debugging and troubleshooting processes.
Grade six and older children demonstrated remarkable aptitude for abstract thinking required in software development. Young minds adapted quickly to programming languages and logic structures that often challenge adult learners entering technology careers.
Black Female Founder Faces Investment Rejection
Business expansion plans faced significant obstacles despite proven program success and growing student demand. Investment firms showed reluctance to fund educational initiatives led by Black female entrepreneurs, regardless of demonstrated results and market potential.
Statistical research revealed that barely one percent of Black female founders received approval for technology industry funding and grants. Systemic bias in venture capital markets created additional barriers beyond typical startup challenges that all entrepreneurs face.
Parent concerns about children’s programming abilities represented another significant obstacle to program growth. Many families doubted whether young students could handle the technical complexity involved in software development and coding languages.
Educational outreach efforts helped address parent skepticism by demonstrating student achievements and explaining how families could participate in learning processes together. Collaborative parent-child coding projects built confidence and support for continued program participation.
Creating Success Without Venture Capital
Entrepreneurship in technology requires persistence despite facing multiple forms of discrimination simultaneously. Being a Black woman seeking funding for educational programming meant overcoming both racial and gender biases prevalent in investment communities.
Statistics painted a stark picture of reality. Less than one percent of venture capital goes to Black female founders. Eddings faced closed doors at every investment meeting. Pitch decks that highlighted student success rates and program growth couldn’t overcome demographic prejudices that dominated funding decisions.
Creating opportunities within existing system limitations became necessary when external funding sources remained inaccessible. Self-funding through personal income and student tuition allowed program continuation without compromising educational quality or mission focus.
Bootstrap strategies replaced traditional growth models. Every dollar earned went back into software development and classroom resources. Parent payments covered basic operational costs while Eddings reinvested her tech salary into program expansion. Slow, steady growth proved more sustainable than venture-backed rapid scaling that often prioritizes profits over educational outcomes.
Recognition from technology employers validated Eddings’ professional competence even when investment firms questioned her business capabilities. Industry respect for her programming skills contrasted sharply with funding rejections based on demographic characteristics rather than merit.
Sixth Graders Design Professional Websites
Real-world project achievements validated the effectiveness of hands-on programming education for young learners. Students regularly exceeded expectations by completing complex technical tasks that impressed both parents and technology professionals.
Bridal website user interface recreation represented just one example of student capabilities when given appropriate tools and encouragement. Such projects demonstrated that children could produce professional-quality work while developing valuable career skills.
Growing program demand reflected student satisfaction and word-of-mouth recommendations from families experiencing positive results. Children’s enthusiasm for coding lessons attracted siblings and friends, creating organic growth that traditional marketing couldn’t achieve.
Academic improvement in math and science is often accompanied by programming skill development, showing broader educational benefits beyond technical knowledge. Problem-solving abilities and logical thinking skills are transferred to other subjects and life situations.
Children Transform From Users to Creators
Sharen Eddings turned library books into a tech career, then built an educational empire from her living room. Her journey proves that barriers exist to be broken, not accepted.
Children who once spent hours gaming now spend hours creating. They build websites, design interfaces, and solve complex problems. Their parents witness the transformation from passive consumers to active producers.
Investment firms rejected her. Statistics said Black female founders get less than one percent of tech funding. She built her business anyway, funding growth through student success rather than venture capital.
CodeWithSharen does more than teach programming. It prepares children for careers that don’t exist yet. Students learn persistence, problem-solving, and creative thinking—skills that transfer far beyond computer screens.
Every child who completes a project proves skeptics wrong. Every website built by a sixth-grader demonstrates untapped potential. Every success story reinforces a simple truth: given the right tools and encouragement, children can create technology rather than just consume it.
