Everyone Can Code: Apple's Attempt to Make Coding Commonplace

I agree. Everyone can code. Everyone can do plumbing (but I want a master plumber for my high-rise). Everyone can do welding (but I want a master welder for my super-tanker). Everyone can do surgery (but I want a doctor to actually do it).

There is a meme being spread that anyone can code, with the implication that since coding is easy then being a programmer is easy. I agree that anyone can code. But being a programmer is hard. It isn't 'coding' that makes it hard. It is living in a constant state of frustration.

For example, I have C code that has compiled cleanly since the 1980s. It won't compile on Ubuntu 17.04. Why? Who knows. But I have to figure it out. The problem isn't in the "code". Someone changed something somewhere for what they thought was a good reason (I assume) and now my 1.2 million lines of code fails to compile. What changed? The compiler (yep), the libraries (yep), the operating system (yep), and which change is the fatal flaw? Is it a simple one-line fix or do I have to re-architect the code to get around it?

Coding is easy. Finding MY mistake is easy. However, programming is hard. You have to learn to live with moments of success within years of frustration. It is a lot like being a parent I guess. Anyone can do it but few are exceptional at it.