Pictured are Ann Lillard, left, and, Michael Palmer. Both are SIUE graduates. The couple is married and own Code Red Education of St. Louis.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alum Michael Palmer credits his liberal arts education for his capacity to think outside the box, leading him to launch his business, Code Red Education.
Code Red, which was started in May 2012 and received a coveted $50,000 Arch Grant last fall, provides area youth and individuals with access to education in the area of computer science—specifically coding. The self-described “eduprenuer” said his company helps people find good-paying jobs in lieu of or before they earn that college degree.
Palmer also credits “mother necessity” for prompting him to start his coding business. While he was a student, he began coding from his room at SIUE’s Prairie Hall so he could afford to live in a single room without a roommate.
During his tenure at SIUE, Palmer earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in history. He also obtained teaching certifications in English and history.
His SIUE mentors included Drs. Jason Stacy and Eric Ruckh, associate professors of historical studies through the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr David DeWeese, emeritus associate professor in the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Palmer currently teaches history in North County in St. Louis. He uses technology in his classroom to help his students get a competitive edge in the workforce they will be entering in the next few years.
“What better way to learn technology than to see how it works and develops,” Palmer said. “It provides students with a better grasp of the fine arts. It also gives students a better understanding of technology and liberal arts.”
Palmer and his wife, Ann Lillard, taught alternative education in Cahokia for several years. That experience planted the seed for Code Red Education, he said. The couple met at SIUE. Lillard earned her bachelor’s in English and teaching certification from the University in 2008.
“These are students who were multiple years behind in credits or coming back from long-term suspension, pregnancy or homebound,” Palmer said. “What we were told constantly to tell our students is you have to get to college. They wanted a nice paying job that would take them out of the current situation they were in.”
Palmer cited the fact that nearly 50,000 U.S. computer science jobs remain vacant each year, because there are not enough individuals trained to fill them. He decided to use his liberal arts education and apply it toward preparing today’s students to fill those jobs. The number of vacant jobs in that area is expected to reach nearly 760,000 by 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The reality is, Palmer said, good paying jobs out of college are not as plentiful as they once were. He noted many good-paying jobs are available in the area of coding, but go unfilled due to lack of trained professionals in that area.
“It’s really easy to learn programming,” Palmer said. “Anyone can do it. It doesn’t require a college degree.
“My thought was to help these kids get pay good-paying jobs right out of high school. Then maybe they could continue on to college if they choose. It would definitely cut the shortages in the number of tech people out there to fill IT positions that require coding knowledge, just in St. Louis alone.”
Palmer noted that there is an anticipated 12-percent increased need per year in the area of IT jobs. Only 3 percent of that gap is filled by current college graduates, leaving a 9 percent gap.
The educator/business owner likened computer programmers as today’s version of the auto assembly line workers of generations past. With a specific skill such as the ability to conduct computer programming functions and simply telling a computer what to do, individuals can enter good-paying positions when they enter the workforce.
Currently, Code Red works closely with St. Louis-based company Extra Help to provide job placement services for its students. Palmer’s office is located in the T-Rex incubator complex in the Railway Exchange building downtown.