Leo the Homeless Coder Finished His App, and You Can Download It Right Now

This goes to show that not EVERYONE that is homeless is a drunken bum!!!

Leo Grand was approached by a young programmer named Patrick McConlogue in mid-August with a choice: Take $100 or take an opportunity to learn how to code.

Grand, who had been homeless since 2011 after he lost his job at MetLife and was priced out of his neighborhood when a high-rise went up on the next block, didn't hesitate.

He wanted to learn to code. The two men met every weekday where Leo sleeps outside for an hour each morning. McConlogue taught Grand how to program using three used books from Amazon and a refurbished Chromebook McConlogue purchased for Grand online.

I am buying his app to help him, dont need it, as I dont live in a city, but the guy deserves a break.
He lost his job and home, and instead of wallowing in self despair and turning to drugs or booze, he furthered himself!!!

Story

reply to post by HomerinNC


Now that is a great story. I may have to buy it just to support this kind of action in the world. Hopefully Grand keeps up his studies and can get off the street for good. Wonder what the motive was behind the coder who helped him or who he works for. Bet they are friends for life after this.

reply to post by HomerinNC


Good stuff. I just hope he can apply his skills in more...invaluable ways.

reply to post by HomerinNC


Well, if this is not just the average media propaganda then it truly defines the American way. As that story from the bible goes and not en exact quote but it sends the message. "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach that man how to fish and he will never go hungry again."

I give just as much if not more KUDOS to the man who taught the programming skills. And just to plug an agenda the solution was not government handouts. It was people caring for people... something that doesn't exist in the government.

reply to post by HomerinNC


The whole thing makes me wonder how much talent and possible innovation we, as a country, are losing to increasing poverty and a poor job market?

My own husband has designed these big, beautiful offices and buildings all over town, but now he's working driving a forklift, or unloading trucks. Whatever work he can get with the temp agencies.... Builders still come to him for house plans when they have something to build, but it's few and far in between.

How many kids do we have that never get to go to college or finish high school? I know one kid who dropped out of highschool to work at Kroger when his dad got put in jail after being laid off and being unable to pay child support to younger siblings.

I don't know the answers, but hoarding knowledge and allowing human exploitation is probably not going to get us far.

Thanks for the link, Homer. Like you, I don't need the app, but bought it anyway to support the guy.

I work for a tech co in small town missouri. I know if this guy ever needed a job now, we would grab him in a second. Our CEO/founder lives for stories like this.

Anyone know what he's up to now?


~Winter~

edit:

we have a program like this even.... no matter who you are, where you come from... if you can pass the application process (not easy) we take you, train you to code, and give you a job. I went from Industrial sales to java/python dev. There are still companies out there in the USA that embarrasses the spirit.

Good to see he chose to learn something

jjkenobi
I give just as much if not more KUDOS to the man who taught the programming skills. And just to plug an agenda the solution was not government handouts. It was people caring for people... something that doesn't exist in the government.

It doesn't exist in the government or in the upper or middle class much, to be honest. I have seen so much hatred lately towards the poor. My parents and others are even getting hostile at the thought of helping the poor, they see them as not having earned their way.

I just want to say that the government safety nets are necessary, because the reality is, the rich people and middle-class conservatives I've been around loathe the poor and can't wait to screw them over, because they view them as not having earned their way.

It could be some kind of weird new fad. However, I also want to say that the government should include positive ways for people to work their way out of poverty in more cases.

But right now, taking away safety nets would be a disaster. We are on the brink of class warfare.