I do think that many (most?) people would be able to learn to program to the point where they can make a good living, in an age where it's harder and harder to make a good living doing anything.
But I've been passionate, at least in some definitions, about programming since I was a young teen. Before that, even, if you count simple programming. Passionate may not be the right word, though. Obsessive might be better. Or driven. I can't not learn about programming.
But I try not to claim that everyone has to be passionate or obsessive or whatever. Yes, I am. And yes, I'm quite a good developer. But I've worked with and encountered plenty of people who get the job done and who clearly aren't passionate about code. And they're making a fine living at development.
Low-skill jobs are going away en masse over the next 50 years. Maybe new jobs will magically come in to replace them, but I don't think so. Not all of them; not this time.
And so discouraging people from learning to program may be discouraging them from learning the one skill they can pick up in a reasonable time frame that keeps them from collecting welfare while working at WalMart.
Everyone should write. Few become authors. It is the way of things. And programming will invade every corner of our essence. Much like this post, it is not the best, nor must it be for us to exchange information and better each other.
The real distortion in cs is the fact almost everyone needs a damn CS degree these days for mid-tier pay. Never mind needing to be under 30. (slight exaggeration to drive home the point)
I do think that many (most?) people would be able to learn to program to the point where they can make a good living, in an age where it's harder and harder to make a good living doing anything.
But I've been passionate, at least in some definitions, about programming since I was a young teen. Before that, even, if you count simple programming. Passionate may not be the right word, though. Obsessive might be better. Or driven. I can't not learn about programming.
But I try not to claim that everyone has to be passionate or obsessive or whatever. Yes, I am. And yes, I'm quite a good developer. But I've worked with and encountered plenty of people who get the job done and who clearly aren't passionate about code. And they're making a fine living at development.
Low-skill jobs are going away en masse over the next 50 years. Maybe new jobs will magically come in to replace them, but I don't think so. Not all of them; not this time.
And so discouraging people from learning to program may be discouraging them from learning the one skill they can pick up in a reasonable time frame that keeps them from collecting welfare while working at WalMart.