I think they were a bit perplexed at why I would put myself through this and ultimately, to answer you question in my very long-winded fashion – the reason I continued on was the amazing satisfaction and pride I would feel when a program would run without error or when I would solve a problem, after countless efforts, only to find the simplest answer coming from changing the way I looked at the problem.
Final thoughts
The transformation I saw in my brother was amazing. It’s difficult to convey how big an impact this has had on his life. I had not seen him apply himself this much except with music and now he can’t stop studying CS.
It’s worth mentioning that throughout his educational career, many teachers expressed their concerns about Mike’s study habits and grades and yet about a decade after high school he is studying complex technical subjects. With all of the criticisms about MOOCs, we should not discard experiences that make a huge impact on people like my brother.
Phil Wagner is an Instructional Designer at Google and an education blogger at BrokenAirplane.com. This post first appeared on the blog Broken Airplane.
- Learner agency comes first in AI-driven digital literacy - October 7, 2026
- Authority, responsibility, and accountability for AI in higher ed - October 5, 2026
- Why AI doesn’t replace education—it demands it - October 2, 2026