This to me is the biggest argument that programming is a core competency and should be treated as such. Whenever I suggest this to people, they often say something along the lines of why would I need to code if I'm not going to be a software developer. To me this is a little like saying, why should I learn to write unless I'm going to be a professional writer. Lots of jobs benefit from being able to write, and even if you dig ditches for a living, there are still a lot of advantages to being able to write well. Writing can be a hobby, a way to socialize, a way to preserve your own knowledge. I have entire interpersonal relationships that only exist in writing.

Programming is the same. It's the doorway to lots of different hobbies and careers, but most people have no clue exactly how many doors it opens. They grossly overestimate the easy part of building software (writing code) and undervalue domain expertise. In other words, it would be easier for a lawyer to learn to build software than for a software dev to study law.