4 ms·

I'm curious why anyone would think programming is an essential life skill, considering how many successful people are alive today who cannot code. Another thou

I'm curious why anyone would think programming is an essential life skill, considering how many successful people are alive today who cannot code. Another thought: when ML starts getting applied to solving programming (see recent GPT-3 demos for many examples), do you think by the time that 5 year old is 20, programming will still be a viable career for humans?

mewpmewp2 6y ago
As time goes on the more essential it will become as it is one of the last jobs to be taken by AI.
- alphadevx 6y ago
  I agree with you that it will be one of the last jobs to go, but it will go. Fast-forward 15 years, and hypothesize about "GPT-15" or whatever, running on a quantum computer, just as a fun thought experiment, then put your kid up against that in the jobs market. I think people will always learn math, programming, and natural languages for fun and intellectual growth, but I don't see those being paying jobs in 2 decades, when AI will be vastly superior to us. For example, think about how many millions bugs are because of the most basic of human errors, time and time again, and the huge costs associated with that.
schwartzworld 6y ago
> I'm curious why anyone would think programming is an essential life skill, considering how many successful people are alive today who cannot code. There was a time when you probably could have said the same thing about reading. I'm not talking about programming as a career. Much like reading and writing, you can have a career focused around it, but it has applications in non-technical careers. Many jobs have repetitive tasks. I've personally had jobs in my life where lots of aspects could be handled by scripts (although I didn't know how to write them at the time). Additionally, a lot of workplaces rely on Excel for key workflows that would be simpler and faster as programs. Computer literacy, much like writing, opens doors. The vast majority of people who learn how to write are never employed as professional writers. Additionally, like reading and writing, it can be a great source of pleasure. Much like the author, I make little games for my daughter to play on (https://letter-press.netlify.app/snek/ https://letter-press.netlify.app/snek/ for example). You can create art with code, or treat it as a puzzle solving exercise, or use it to modify your favorite games.
globular-toast 6y ago
Hacker News readers include some of the most sheltered and naïve people in the world. It really beggars belief sometimes just how out of touch with reality they are. A lot of them are funnelled through university straight into ridiculously high paying jobs and will never experience life at a normal level.

mewpmewp2 6y ago

As time goes on the more essential it will become as it is one of the last jobs to be taken by AI.

alphadevx 6y ago
I agree with you that it will be one of the last jobs to go, but it will go. Fast-forward 15 years, and hypothesize about "GPT-15" or whatever, running on a quantum computer, just as a fun thought experiment, then put your kid up against that in the jobs market. I think people will always learn math, programming, and natural languages for fun and intellectual growth, but I don't see those being paying jobs in 2 decades, when AI will be vastly superior to us. For example, think about how many millions bugs are because of the most basic of human errors, time and time again, and the huge costs associated with that.

schwartzworld 6y ago

> I'm curious why anyone would think programming is an essential life skill, considering how many successful people are alive today who cannot code. There was a time when you probably could have said the same thing about reading. I'm not talking about programming as a career. Much like reading and writing, you can have a career focused around it, but it has applications in non-technical careers. Many jobs have repetitive tasks. I've personally had jobs in my life where lots of aspects could be handled by scripts (although I didn't know how to write them at the time). Additionally, a lot of workplaces rely on Excel for key workflows that would be simpler and faster as programs. Computer literacy, much like writing, opens doors. The vast majority of people who learn how to write are never employed as professional writers. Additionally, like reading and writing, it can be a great source of pleasure. Much like the author, I make little games for my daughter to play on (https://letter-press.netlify.app/snek/ https://letter-press.netlify.app/snek/ for example). You can create art with code, or treat it as a puzzle solving exercise, or use it to modify your favorite games.

globular-toast 6y ago

Hacker News readers include some of the most sheltered and naïve people in the world. It really beggars belief sometimes just how out of touch with reality they are. A lot of them are funnelled through university straight into ridiculously high paying jobs and will never experience life at a normal level.