Developing an app has become a child’s play

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. Sun was shining bright. I got up at 10:00 a.m. For me, it was lazy Sunday morning. After getting up, I grabbed a remote control of t.v. and jumped on the sofa. I set my back on the cushion and started surfing the channels. While switching the channels, I stopped on one english news channel. It was showing a nine year old girl and the reporter introduced her as “meet the youngest app developer.” I was like “what?” My jaws dropped. News reporter added “she has made an app for iOS.” My jaws touched the floor. News reporter started interviewing her. “How did you learn the code language?” Reporter asked.

“I learnt the code language by watching vedios on YouTube.” She replied in her cute and innocent voice. “What kind of app you have developed?” Reporter was finding the difficulty to adjust the mic as he was on his knees to ask her the questions. “It is an called smartkin animals which helps children to learn animals. It has a special recording feature through which they can record animal’s voice and find their parents.” She had a smile on her face. She wasn’t even nervous during the interview. I was shocked and amused. I wasn’t able to figure out what it was. “Is it a child prodigy? Or is it her interest in the boring code language?” I asked myself. While I was thinking about it, she went back to her place and started working on the laptop. (news channel interviewed her at World Wide Developers’ Conference)

18 days later, I attended a meet up of a web browser. The meet up was on a working day so I reached there in the last hour. As I entered, I saw three kids sitting on the last table. I though they would be children of attendees. I ignored them and sat on the table next to them. The meet up ended and we interacted. During that interaction, I came to know they have developed a browser and they are here to promote that. Again I was like “what?” In that triumvirate, there was a one 12 years old guy and the rest two were 14 years old. In that interaction, I became the reporter and asked them “how did you learn the coding?”

“We did a course to learn coding and at the end of it we submitted this browser as our project.” The guy with specs replied and other two nodded in agreement. They were the stars of that meet up. People were asking them about their school, their parents, where they live etc. They got all the attention they deserved. I came back home and started thinking “this is the second time in a month, I am witnessing the under age achievement. These kids are simply commendable. What I was doing at that age? What motivates these kids to do such things at this age? I know our next generation is going to be one step ahead of us but this is not one step ahead. This is ten steps ahead.”

After thinking for sometime, I realised the toys with which we used to play has changed. In my teenage, I fell in love with game called cricket and I used to play it everywhere and anywhere I can. I used to push everyone around to play with me. I used to try everything to become the champion of the game. Similarly, these days kids are in love with smartphones and the applications in it and are trying to do everything to make it better. Our next generation is inspiring and is very clear about what they want to do in life. We should take a leaf out of their book and should apply it in our lives. If it goes on with this pace then the day is not far when a child will start developing an app when he/she is in his/her mother’s abdomen.