--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer…" description: "\"I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer science education. I think the first step is educating policymakers that technology is changing the way that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/reshma-saujani-8101_computer-science_i-m-a-big-proponent-of-mandatory-compute_2478558.jpg" --- # I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer science… ![“I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer science education. I think the first step is educating policymakers that technology is changing the way that we live and work, and it's happening so fast.” quote by Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/reshma-saujani-8101_computer-science_i-m-a-big-proponent-of-mandatory-compute_2478558.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/reshma-saujani-8101_computer-science_i-m-a-big-proponent-of-mandatory-compute_2478558.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/reshma-saujani-8101_computer-science_i-m-a-big-proponent-of-mandatory-compute_2478558.jpg) > “I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer science education. I think the first step is educating policymakers that technology is changing the way that we live and work, and it's happening so fast.” [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mandating computer science equips citizens for a digital economy, but requires political will and public understanding. **In simple terms:** Teach coding to all. Key Takeaway Advocate for universal CS education. Themes education technology policy Mood determined hopeful Type advocacy policy When to use this quote - school curricula - legislative briefings - parental outreach - industry partnerships Key Concepts digital literacy workforce development equity Questions to Reflect On - How can we convince skeptics? - What incentives motivate policymakers? A Different Perspective Funding and teacher training are major hurdles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-science/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-think-268072/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [Mandatory Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mandatory-computer-837714/) [Policymakers Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policymakers-technology-837715/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-education/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Technology Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology-changing-576842/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [You could get an entire computer science education for free right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/you-could-get-an-entire-computer-science-education-for-free-right-now/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [Computer science education cannot make anybody an expert programmer any more than studying brushes and pigment can make somebody an expert painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/computer-science-education-cannot-make-anybody-an-expert-programmer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Governments can make a greater effort to encourage computer science education, especially among young girls, racial minorities, and other groups whose perspectives have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fei-fei-li/governments-can-make-a-greater-effort-to-encourage-computer-science/) [Fei-Fei Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fei-fei-li/) > [Providing better computer science education in public schools to kids, and encouraging girls to participate, is the only way to rewrite stereotypes about tech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/providing-better-computer-science-education-in-public-schools-to-kids/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [We've made great progress in educating and informing the public on the importance of getting more rigorous computer science education in all of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tate-reeves/we-ve-made-great-progress-in-educating-and-informing-the-public-on/) [Tate Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tate-reeves/) > [Computer science education is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/computer-science-education-is-important/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [I was full of pride when President Obama talked about coding in his last State of the Union address. I was proud when Chicago…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-was-full-of-pride-when-president-obama-talked-about-coding-in-his/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [Computer science is not just for smart 'nerds' in hoodies coding in basements. Coding is extremely creative and is an integral part of almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/computer-science-is-not-just-for-smart-nerds-in-hoodies-coding-in/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [We need policymakers to keep an eye on gender and write policies that are explicitly designed to include underserved populations like girls in computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/we-need-policymakers-to-keep-an-eye-on-gender-and-write-policies-that/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [One of the things that even wealthy children need is an education, and I think the problems I saw really have nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marva-collins/one-of-the-things-that-even-wealthy-children-need-is-an-education-and/) [Marva Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marva-collins/) > [The supreme lesson of any education should be to think for yourself and to be yourself; absent this attainment, education creates dangerous, stupefying conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-h-mcgill/the-supreme-lesson-of-any-education-should-be-to-think-for-yourself/) [Bryant H. McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-h-mcgill/) > [I think the more you have a generalist perspective, I think sometimes the more you can kind of see through the forest and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-case/i-think-the-more-you-have-a-generalist-perspective-i-think-sometimes/) [Steve Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-case/) > [We believe in public education. We think it's important in our country to have it and for us to support it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/we-believe-in-public-education-we-think-it-s-important-in-our-country/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [If you're funny and working in education, I think the perception is that you're either inspirational or awful. So which was I? I suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-davies/if-you-re-funny-and-working-in-education-i-think-the-perception-is/) [Greg Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-davies/) > [Men do not believe in the power of education. We do not think we can speak to divine sentiments in man, and we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/men-do-not-believe-in-the-power-of-education-we-do-not-think-we-can/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Reshma Saujani > [We need policymakers to keep an eye on gender and write policies that are explicitly designed to include underserved populations like girls in computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/we-need-policymakers-to-keep-an-eye-on-gender-and-write-policies-that/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I'm a feminist with a capital 'F' and have always had a passion for policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-m-a-feminist-with-a-capital-f-and-have-always-had-a-passion-for/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [It's important to find people who believe in you. You also have to find people that you believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/it-s-important-to-find-people-who-believe-in-you-you-also-have-to/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [If our American women are going to work to put food on the table and pay for the mortgage, then we better make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/if-our-american-women-are-going-to-work-to-put-food-on-the-table-and/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [We can't think of any better way of becoming our best selves, than by finding something we're great at!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/we-can-t-think-of-any-better-way-of-becoming-our-best-selves-than-by/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I had to learn how to not be a micro-manager. Maternity leave made me do that. I just couldn't anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-had-to-learn-how-to-not-be-a-micro-manager-maternity-leave-made-me/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I'm glad I didn't know how much patience entrepreneurship required. It took some time to turn that into a strength of mine, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-m-glad-i-didn-t-know-how-much-patience-entrepreneurship-required-it/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I never take for granted how lucky I am to be an American and what a privilege it is to spend each day at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-never-take-for-granted-how-lucky-i-am-to-be-an-american-and-what-a/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [In the '80s, society created a caricature of what a hacker or a programmer looked like: a guy wearing a hoodie, drinking energy drinks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/in-the-80s-society-created-a-caricature-of-what-a-hacker-or-a/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I always say if you're not failing, you're not trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-always-say-if-you-re-not-failing-you-re-not-trying/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [There has been little to no attention from policymakers to the economic inequalities young people face. Instead of job creation policies, our country's youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/there-has-been-little-to-no-attention-from-policymakers-to-the/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [With my own son, my style of mothering has been to bring him everywhere. He's sitting on my lap during interviews. When I went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/with-my-own-son-my-style-of-mothering-has-been-to-bring-him/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [There's no more powerful lesson than knowing that your setbacks will one day help you succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/there-s-no-more-powerful-lesson-than-knowing-that-your-setbacks-will/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [Embracing failure is the most important trait I've developed in my career. I have tried to learn from my failures, and I believe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/embracing-failure-is-the-most-important-trait-i-ve-developed-in-my/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [The culture of tech companies cannot change if women aren't in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/the-culture-of-tech-companies-cannot-change-if-women-aren-t-in-the/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) [Explore all 84 Reshma Saujani quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) ## More Computer science quotes > [It's interesting that the greatest minds of computer science, the founding fathers, like Alan Turing and Claude Shannon and Norbert Wiener, they all looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/it-s-interesting-that-the-greatest-minds-of-computer-science-the/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [We need policymakers to keep an eye on gender and write policies that are explicitly designed to include underserved populations like girls in computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/we-need-policymakers-to-keep-an-eye-on-gender-and-write-policies-that/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [I shopped at J. Crew in high school, I studied computer science. I was a nerd-nerd, now I'm a music-nerd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-shopped-at-j-crew-in-high-school-i-studied-computer-science-i-was-a/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [My high school, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, showed me that anything is possible and that you're never too young to think big.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-shih/my-high-school-the-illinois-mathematics-and-science-academy-showed-me/) [Clara Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-shih/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) [Alfred Aho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-aho/) > [I was on this path to becoming a computer-science guy, but I didn't like it. I got no joy from it. It was very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/i-was-on-this-path-to-becoming-a-computer-science-guy-but-i-didn-t/) [Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/) > [I think that it's extraordinarily important that we in computer science keep fun in computing. When it started out, it was an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/i-think-that-it-s-extraordinarily-important-that-we-in-computer/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [I went to Drexel University, majored in computer science. Drexel has a great program - they call it co-op - but its, like, mandatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gruber/i-went-to-drexel-university-majored-in-computer-science-drexel-has-a/) [John Gruber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gruber/) > [“I think that it’s extraordinarily important that we in computer science keep fun in computing. When it started out it was an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-j-perlis/i-think-that-it-s-extraordinarily-important-that-we-in-computer-2/) [Alan J. Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-j-perlis/) > [I think the combination of graduate education in a field like Computer Science and the opportunity to apply this in a work environment like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/i-think-the-combination-of-graduate-education-in-a-field-like/) [Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/) > [A number of people who are interested in computers in this lifetime programmed computers in Atlantis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-number-of-people-who-are-interested-in-computers-in-this-lifetime/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/computer-science-is-no-more-about-computers-than-astronomy-is-about/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Computer Science is the only discipline in which we view adding a new wing to a building as being maintenance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-horning/computer-science-is-the-only-discipline-in-which-we-view-adding-a-new/) [Jim Horning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-horning/) > [We are lucky in the United States to have our liberal arts system. In most countries, if you go to university, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/we-are-lucky-in-the-united-states-to-have-our-liberal-arts-system-in/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [“We will start by sketching the recursive algorithm and then add details to get to a full description of the algorithm. Footnote : Translation:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sariel-har-peled/we-will-start-by-sketching-the-recursive-algorithm-and-then-add/) [Sariel Har-Peled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sariel-har-peled/) [Browse all 280 Computer science quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-science/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm a big proponent of mandatory computer science education. 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