Using your example of bakers, I think more value would be in being able to set up scripts and such to set up ways of monitoring things (temperatures, moisture,

Using your example of bakers, I think more value would be in being able to set up scripts and such to set up ways of monitoring things (temperatures, moisture, whatever). With a little programming and a simple DIY electronics kit (an arduino perhaps), a lot of these professions could easily rig up some hardware and software to monitor their work and notify them of specific circumstances. The more advanced people could rig up ways to automate part of their work. At the very least, they will have some idea of what they need when some actual software people try to create something for these peoples industries (ie, they will be able to communicate their needs better because they will have some idea of what the programmers actually do). EDIT: as much as I hate when people ask about why they are being downvoted, I would like to understand why so I can improve my future posting. Unless of course someone simply didn't like or disagreed with the post, though I would at least like to know why you disagree with me as I don't see anything obviously wrong with my post as an expansion to the parent post. I am merely pointing out how knowing some programming would be useful to a very wide variety of professions[1] beyond what parent said (which was a lot of machine learning) and that at the very least, it would help people communicate with "real" programmers, the same way that I learn about business to help me better communicate with the various different business people. [1] A large enough variety of professions and people that I think everyone should be taught at least basic programming the same way as I think everyone should learn some basic algebra, history, geography, chemistry, biology, etc