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This is true, but the same can be said of being a great writer. George Orwell set out to have an impact on the world and he is still doing so long after his de

This is true, but the same can be said of being a great writer. George Orwell set out to have an impact on the world and he is still doing so long after his death because of the strength of his writing. The same can be said of being a great orator. Cicero is still known today largely for his oratory skills, and similar skills have served president Obama. So does being a great biologist and research doctor. Edward Jenner saved countless lives through is work. Code can multiply your effort, and that is why I code, but it is not the only thing that can, and in fact many technologies exist to multiply the effort in some form or fashion.

sgdesign 14y ago
It is not the only thing that can, but then again not all things have the same multiplication coefficient. Clearly being a great writer, orator, or doctor have high coefficients. Being a great plumber probably has a lower coefficient. Being a great doorman might be still lower on the scale. (I'm not saying there's anything wrong with being a doorman, just taking it as an example of a skill with a low change-the-world coefficient) I think all things being equal, it's better to learn things with a high coefficient. Of course personal enjoyment is important too, so when I say "everyone should learn to code" I'm of course not advocating forcing people to learn to code against their will…