Becoming a maker

Ethan Saadia, a sixth grader at St. John’s School, started a business to teach others to build computers.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a passion for technology. Both of my parents are knowledgeable in the area, and my mom has guided me through several paths to teach me computer science and engineering. I have learned coding, circuitry, graphic design, photo editing, animation, movie making and more.

When I was 9 years old, I asked my dad for a summer project. He suggested building a computer. I thought it was a great idea; I wanted to know how the machine I used every day was built. He took me to find the parts and explained to me what they were. He taught me how to build it step by step, and soon I had a working (not to mention super fast) computer right in front of me.

I admired how Apple’s products were so revolutionary and how Steve Jobs had built a business out of his garage. He knew how to create amazing products, package and sell them. I knew that when I grew up, I was going to do what he did: change the world with my own company while doing what I loved.

The next summer, I decided to do something with my knowledge of technology and business. My company, PCs for Me (pcsforme.com), was born. I developed build-your-own-computer kits for kids. My kits have all the necessary parts as well as an instructional video and booklet I created myself. I designed the kits so that kids as young as 8 years old, with the assistance of an adult, could build a computer and then use it to continue their computer-science education. It has been a valuable experience building and running a company. With my profits, I buy new products to further my computer-science education.

In a world where technology is everywhere, learning computer science is almost essential. Kids and adults use technology every day; yet the majority of them have little understanding of how it works. My goal is to inspire and transform users into makers of technology.

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