What if I waste my time trying to learn programming?

dev.to

4 pointsmibzman3 comments

I taught myself how to code when I was in primary school, decades ago.

I just happen to have a university degree and work on IT now, but I consider programming about as important as literacy and elementary level math. That is, I would be absolutely handicapped if I didn't know programming.

I can't fathom how society doesn't recognize the importance of this skill. despite how much computers are used. Everybody spends so many hours on them now, and they do so without any efficiency because most can't code, so they can only get things done as directed by a program that's been written by somebody else. Insanity.

I started using a computer and playing games around elementary school too, and even I'm not a programming wizard now. Since I was more about playing games, and following random instructions to get my games to work, I gained familiarity with computers in the sense that I know how to look for information that tells me to smack the tv a few times to get it to work. Also just spent a lot of time online in general reading stuff and being involved in the gaming forums. So I understand how normal people who just use computers for work, chat, listen to music, etc. have no reason or need to ever learn any of this stuff. It doesn't help that developers strive to make their stuff juST woRK for these common people, so they'll never have the experience of having to research and troubleshoot their issues. What do people usually do now? Complain about it until someone else fixes it I guess.

Trades have apprentices perhaps computer programming should make use of apprenticeships as well

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