Ellison suggests mobile app development as a starting point for a few reasons: it's lucrative, it's a familiar platform that most people use everyday, and it involves developing for a single form factor and operating system.
Unlike full-stack or front-end development, focusing on developing something like an iPhone app can be much more simple. That's because it involves developing for a single platform, meaning you won't have to worry about accommodating as many different screen sizes or operating systems at first.
"It's just so relatable and it's really straightforward to be able to plug in," he said. "We love mobile as an introduction."
Apple's Swift programming language for iOS is particularly accessible to newcomers, Ellison says. "You can use the same powerful tools that professional developers are using," he said. "And you can feel like you're doing a lot even though you don't yet understand a lot."