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  • 79,840 dollars: The average salary of a computer programmer in America.

  • Average meaning many can afford a big fancy house or rent a closet in San Francisco.

  • Even the lowest paid ten percent make more than the average American.

  • Programming is so well paid because it's so in demand and so in demand because it's growing so quickly in importance.

  • But it's more than a trend.

  • Surely it's the inevitable direction of things, right?

  • Say something big like programming is the future and people conclude that fast forward 20 years if you don't know how to program,

  • Well, good luck getting a job at McDonald's

  • But as long as there are jobs, economic laws say people will specialize

  • and there's no reason to think programming is any different. A valuable skill to learn?

  • Absolutely, and more so every day. In the way of reading and writing? Not even close.

  • Not everyone should code, and saying otherwise may only harm those you intend to help.

  • The biggest fans of "everyone should code" are politicians and technology companies, and that's no coincidence.

  • To a politician, more of any job that means more taxes, more spending, more everything good.

  • and programming jobs pay especially well, so they're especially loved

  • But there's also something unique about these jobs in particular.

  • Technology companies, often started by programmers, have international influence like no one else.

  • If someone is going to pull the world's financial and emotional levers,

  • and unfortunately, we know they are, you as a politician want them in your country.

  • He who regulates the technology company, regulates the world.

  • America's power, as home to so many global technology giants, is hard to underestimate.

  • Few companies have so much financial and cultural influence.

  • Imagine America's reaction if instead they were based in, I don't know, say Russia.

  • People like President Obama are so vocal about coding because they understand its potentials.

  • So does China. they've decided it's too high a price to pay.

  • And for technology companies, "everyone should code" is "everyone should flood the market with the skills we need".

  • But it's not all self-interest. There's also a dangerous mix of good intentions and the dunning-kruger effect.

  • Seeing trends, it's easy to make a prediction.

  • It won't be long before nearly all jobs require programming,

  • and the solution is to encourage an already financially troubled generation to pursue

  • the high-paying safe job of computer programming

  • But a little bit of foresight can be more dangerous than none at all.

  • Seeing the potential of programming, without knowing what it's really like.

  • Programmers do make a lot of money.

  • But so do surgeons. actually three times as much. and dentists, and psychologists, and lawyers

  • So why is programming treated in a way surgery isn't? because we're told it's not just another trade,

  • But an essential skill like reading and writing, and if it is then it totally should be required in every school.

  • But if not -and I don't think it is- then it's just one admittedly pretty good career path of many.

  • could anyone perform surgery? given enough time and training, yeah, maybe,

  • but people have different talents. Surgery may be in high demand

  • But we know it's not for everyone. in fact specialization is good.

  • It's the reason we have computers at all. Every single one of us could be completely self-reliant

  • But you're probably not going to be the best hunter, cobbler, cook, engineer, and scientist in the world

  • When you have to do everything you can be good at nothing, so how about this? You get really good at farming,

  • I'll make bricks and we can trade. This way we can both have really nice stuff. That's the basis for civilization!

  • And you might say, well both farmers and masons still need to read and write, but programming can't be such a skill.

  • It's difficult enough that it just doesn't make economic sense for everyone to learn it,

  • unless or until robots take over everything jobs need done. more and more will involve computers,

  • but it won't be doctors and teachers programming them, because as long as programmers get better at programming,

  • and teachers get better at teaching, by each sticking to their crafts, they will.

  • So as far as jobs go, It's so really good one, but it is just a job, not a basic universal skill

  • A good teacher can take a complicated topic,

  • Deconstruct it, and explain it in easier terms. To make accessible is necessarily to simplify

  • But it's really easy to do what looks identical, but actually oversimplifies.

  • in fact, That's the challenge of YouTube. don't simplify, and you have a boring two-hour video.

  • Over simplify, and you paint a misleading picture.

  • In its enthusiasm to make programming accessible, "everyone should code" does exactly that.

  • Tap-tap-tap, that's programming! definitely not sitting at a desk for long hours solving problems.

  • Here's the thing; whether you've been to college or have any programming experience,

  • You can pay a company to teach you how to code in 14 weeks. And for not that much money.

  • That should be a huge red flag. if you can become a developer in 14 weeks,

  • either companies overpay for what's really a simple job,

  • or there's actually much more to it. And of course there is.

  • It's the difference between programming and computer science. the first you really can learn in 14 weeks.

  • You can read it in a book. its memorizing what to type to make a computer do a thing.

  • That's what "everyone should code" teaches.

  • But it claims the benefits of computer science; solving efficient creative mathematical problems.

  • That's what companies pay six-figure salaries for. and if that's your thing, awesome!

  • In fact, I'm one of those people.

  • but many, maybe most wouldn't actually enjoy it. that doesn't mean you shouldn't teach programming,

  • but it has to be honest it can be accessible and inclusive, but not misleading. Stem is also cheered for the money,

  • but that too attracts the wrong people. It would be awesome if teachers were paid more,

  • but one benefit of what we have, is how it selects for people passionate about the job, not just after a paycheck.

  • Lots of people go into computer science just for the money, but they may end up hating it,

  • and the irony is when you sell people on an unrealistic job, supply rises and salaries fall

  • because you might imagine a huge team of people behind every tech company, but very few are actually engineers

  • When Instagram had 7 million users, it had four employees

  • Four. As in, 4.0. There will be more demand for programming, but not unlimited demand.

  • So we might as well attract who's actually interested.

  • Programming isn't everyone's cup of tea,

  • and adding too much sugar will only make it extra bitter when they find out what it's really like.

  • Maybe programming isn't for everyone, but neither is history, or music, or art

  • And we all take those classes in school. Surely there are other benefits to learning programming.

  • There's no doubt programming teaches skills like problem-solving and creative thinking.

  • But this puts the cart before the horse.

  • if you're already sold on the importance of programming, it's easy to see everything through that lens.

  • Coding is a way to understand our world and think differently.

  • But if those are the skills we care about let's find the best way to teach them.

  • If we suddenly have 60 minutes of school to spare, I'd suggest a class on personal finance

  • or critically consuming media or speaking. The class with the biggest impact on my life was debate,

  • and critical thinking is much needed. Coding classes should be available for those interested,

  • but not as a requirement. Because everyone learns differently, and at a different pace, and likes different things.

  • I know my high school didn't teach all the subjects I wanted to learn,

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  • So if you want to make a video like this one or even better,

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79,840 dollars: The average salary of a computer programmer in America.

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