On his way to work every day, professional programmer Patrick McConlogue passed a homeless man.
One day, he gave the man two options: he would return the next day with $100 or would spend some time with the man teaching him about coding.
The homeless man, called Leo, opted for the lesson in coding, and several weeks later, is set to release his first app.
"I figured if I take the $100, I would be done with that in a couple [of] days or a week, but if I take the coding classes, it could last a lifetime," said Leo of the offer. "It's not like I don't have the time to learn to do it."
Leo and McConlogue's app idea was borne out of Leo's concerns about climate change and global warming. "I don't need $1 million to be happy. But getting this mobile app completed, and spreading awareness about climate change, would be a great benefit for me."
During the training, McConlogue spent an hour every day, from Monday to Friday, teaching Leo using three JavaScript books and a laptop. The hour was broken up into different sessions, which included a review of the content from the previous day, followed by an in-depth repetition of everything they had covered so far, before launching into the topic for the day, says McConlogue. And after McConlogue sets off to do his day job, Leo spends an additional three or four hours practicing on his own.
For Leo, the most frustrating part about the process has been learning the JavaScript language, but he knows the opportunity could turn into something more for him.
Just last week, Leo and McConlogue attended a hackathon together, where as many as 1 000 coders were working to make an impact using technology.
According to McConlogue, the social project was an attempt to test the old adage: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime". He adds that he did so not for his own personal gain or notoriety, but because, for some reason, he believed Leo would be up for the challenge.
To keep track of Leo's progress, visit the Journeyman Challenge Facebook page.
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