Appalachian Miners Are Learning to Code

Jim Ratliff worked for 14 years in the mines of eastern Kentucky, drilling holes and blasting dynamite to expose the coal that has powered Appalachian life for more than a century.

Today, he rolls into an office at 8 a.m., settles into a small metal desk and does something that, until last year, was completely foreign to him: computer coding.

"A lot of people look at us coal miners as uneducated," said Ratliff, a 38-year-old with a thin goatee and thick arms. "It’s backbreaking work, but there’s engineers and very sophisticated equipment. You work hard and efficiently and that translates right into coding."

Tim Loh

Full Story: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-03/from-coal-to-coding-appalachian-miners-getting-a-fresh-start?utm_content=buffera51c1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer