Why is learning to code a big deal? Here's one reason: In 2015, as many as 7 million job openings were in occupations that required coding skills, reported Burning Glass, a job-market analytics firm.

“Javascript is like learning a foreign language on another planet,” exclaims student Larnel Wolfe. He and his classmates sit attentively at their desks as Marcus Phillips, co-founder of Hack Reactor ...