
OUR MISSION
To give our next generation of learners the ability to build upon the most powerful devices the world has ever seen.
WHY LEARN TO CODE?
Technology has entered all facets of our lives, and continues to grow in importance. Being technologically literate is not only a good skill, but is quickly becoming a requirement for success in the future. Most jobs today require some use of a computer. A person’s ability to create with computers is limited by his or her knowledge of the languages used to communicate with computers.
It’s not that every child growing up today needs to become a full-time software developer (though the stats look pretty good):
-
500,000 open computing jobs in the US right now*
-
Coding jobs are being created at 4x the rate of jobs in other fields*
-
These new coding jobs are paying 2x the salary of the other new jobs being created*
In the same way every child grows when they learn to read, write and communicate, learning to program a computer and understanding the basics of how to "speak" to a computer is life enriching. When moving to a new country, the ability to speak and communicate in that country's language, even in a limited way, aids in finding employment. As the person's communication skills increase, more professional opportunities become available. We, at Codebug, are convinced that speaking the language of computers will be a fundamental skill for success in the future. Our goal is to open up as many employment opportunities for the current and next generation as possible, and we believe the best way to do that is by teaching them to code.
*Source: (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/closing-the-gender-gap-in-the-tech-industry-60-minutes/)
OUR TEACHERS

SARAH BETACK
Sarah grew up in New Canaan, CT. After graduating from New Canaan High School, she attended Vanderbilt University where she earned a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Secondary Education. Sarah taught high school math for 4 years before attending Dev Bootcamp where she learned to code. In addition to constantly seeking new ways to spread her coding knowledge, Sarah has been working as a professional software engineer ever since learning to code. She currently works as Director of Engineering at The Helper Bees, a tech-enabled platform pairing advanced data analysis with skilled case management to offer next gen home care.
MCARTHUR GILL
McArthur grew up in Montgomery, AL though he spent plenty of time as a child on the family catfish farm in rural Alabama. He met Sarah while also studying at Vanderbilt University, where he earned a BE in Mechanical Engineering. McArthur has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, his senior year of college, he cofounded a company that went on to sign a corporate sponsorship with Nissan North America. He currently works at Storyfit, a company using machine learning to gather AI-powered insights for Story Tellers and Story Sellers. Hired initially as a Platform Engineer, after a year he was promoted to Director of Engineering. McArthur believes that software knowledge is like having a superpower, and he wants a world full of superheroes.

WHAT THE STUDENTS ARE SAYING

Alex
Web Development
What I liked about these presentations was that they were really quick and efficient at delivering the necessary information for the upcoming practice assignment. They didn't belabor a point, and their short-ness held my attention. I felt that I could always ask Sarah (and McArthur, for that matter) for advice if I was stuck on a project. She was always willing to work WITH me to solve the problem, or lead me down the right path to a solution, rather than leaving me to struggle helplessly. I really appreciated this and it helped my learning.
Ford
Web Development
I genuinely loved every part of it, from the incredible instructors, to the comforting work environment. One of my favorite parts was that I was pushed to keep working and learning, however, I found my own way to getting better at each part of what we went over. Additionally, Sarah and McArthur were always there to help when I needed them and were able to explain things/walk me through them in the best of ways.
CODEBUG IN THE NEWS
Want to learn how to code? Two Vanderbilt alumni can teach you how this summer
During his freshman year at Vanderbilt University, McArthur Gill (‘13) came up with idea for Aggregift, an online platform he hoped would revolutionize the modern gift-giving experience by letting users pool their money towards purchasing one significant gift, rather than individually giving several mediocre gifts. Gill was convinced that Aggregift could be the next big thing to hit the tech market and purchased a domain name to begin building his business from the ground up...
Learn to Code This Summer at St. Luke's
You've probably heard the adage, "Your child should learn to code." Before accepting that as truth, it's important to stop and ask why a child should learn to code—what purpose does it serve? I sat down with Sarah Betack, a New Canaan native and co-founder of Codebug, to get some insights...
Codebug Launches in New Canaan
Codebug, a premier coding school headquartered in Nashville, TN, is launching middle/high school summer coding programs in New Canaan starting in June. Co-led by NCHS & Vanderbilt alum, Sarah Betack, Codebug will be offering their programs at St. Luke's School for all students in the surrounding area...