I'm really excited to announce a new meetup in Chicago for people who want to learn more about programming, but need a solid place to start. It's called Anyone Can Learn To Code (of all things!), and it's free, and anyone can join. The official Meetup.com link for the group is here. To repeat the official meetup group description, as I've posted there: "Have you ever thought about learning to code but weren't sure how to get started? Let's meet and explore the fundamentals of programming, including how to write code as well as how to develop a mindset that will enable us to learn anything technology related. Each event will be led by a tech expert who will guide us in a new skill or concept, and help us get started with programming, whether as a career or as a hobby." I don't know yet exactly how this will play out; it will depend upon who shows up, and what those people are looking to get out of the meetup. However, as of now, I envision having professionals (including myself) teaching how to get started in various technologies. And I'm not limiting it to one set of technology. Of course, I'll be giving talks on Ruby, HTML, JavaScript, Rails, and subjects that fall within my domain of expertise, but I'll also have other speakers talk about C#, Python, Java, C++, and others. And it won't be limited to languages either. We'll talk about databases, servers, browsers, and more. I'm also really excited to see that a number of professional developers have also signed up for the group, saying that they'd like to help out. That's really amazing of them, and I'm really pumped that we have a huge range of people on board. It would be awesome to see similar meetups sprout up in many other cities. If you'd like to organize such a meetup, please reach out to me, and I can help you get started. Workbridge Associates in Chicago has stepped up to the plate and generously offered to host our meetup on a regular basis as well as provide refreshments. They do great work and I'd like to give them a big thanks for helping make this happen. And, our first meetup will be about… you guessed it! Learn To Code With Ruby, given by myself on April 7, 2014. All the details can be found here. I hope to see you there!