I'm still all for it. Coding is a lot more than just filling jobs. It opens the door to critical thinking, breaking down complex problems into simple ones, separating correlation and causality, and differentiating between data vs anecdotes. It's essentially applied STEM education, but with very practical, tangible outcomes in equipment that nearly everyone will have access to.
I can't think of a faster, more accessible, more entertaining way to grow these skills.
It is also a very affordable and quick way to "build stuff", which is one of the strongest ways for children/adolescents to get excited about their "work"
I do have to wonder what learning to code offers over the math that is already taught. It seems akin to teaching baking as applied chemistry. Should baking be a mandatory subject?
In high school, I taught myself how to program and formally took the math classes offered. I remember many days in class thinking, "oh, this is just like programming with another syntax." There is a lot of overlap there. In terms of critical thinking and breaking down problems, a coding course would just be a reiteration of the existing math classes in an applied setting.
I can't think of a faster, more accessible, more entertaining way to grow these skills.