Technological knowledge is more important today than ever, with even President Obama asking more students to learn to code. According to Code.org, computing occupations are among the highest-paying jobs for new graduates, yet fewer than 3% of college students earn a degree in computer science.

In 36 states, computer science classes aren't even high school graduation requirements. There's clearly a disconnect here.

Aspiring programmers are often overwhelmed because they think they need to learn complex, text-based languages in order to code. Ultimately, many give up or turn to expensive crash courses, when they could turn to a painless place to start,such as "Learn to Program with Scratch" (No Starch Press, Feb 2014, 288 pp., $34.95, ISBN 9781593275433). With it readers can learn how to code without getting in over their heads.

Scratch is a language traditionally reserved for teaching kids how to code using visual blocks instead of typed commands. However, this programming language can make computer science approachable for anyone. In "Learn to Program with Scratch,"author Majed Marji highlights the power of this language. Readers will learn to:

° Harness the power of repeat loops and recursion;

° Use if/else statements and logical operators to make decisions;

° Store data in variables and lists to use later in their programs;

° Read, store, and manipulate user input;

° Implement key computer science algorithms like linear searches and bubble sorts.

Go to www.nostarch.com for more info.