I'm generally in favour of the 'learn to code' meme, but I think we've gotten too hung up on text based procedural coding languages and are not seeing the big p

I'm generally in favour of the 'learn to code' meme, but I think we've gotten too hung up on text based procedural coding languages and are not seeing the big picture here. I would prefer to define programming as "composing a set instructions which can repeated automatically". By that definition there are many people who create valuable 'programs' such as spreadsheets, MS Word themes, CRM workflows, Photoshop scripts, AutoCAD scripts, manufacturing plans, automated UI tests or clever ways of using Mechanical Turk and oDesk. These people don't call themselves programmers but they've grasped the fundamental thing that makes programming a more powerful way of working. It's a way of thinking, not a particular syntax, and I think the economy will increasingly depend on those people who can amplify their effectiveness by thinking in that way. I hope to teach my kids some basic python and HTML but mostly I hope to teach them that just pushing buttons and doing what you're told for 40 hours a week will not be very fulfilling career. Even if you're technically a doctor or a lawyer, you could get stuck being basically a robot. Whereas being someone who designs repeatable systems is much more rewarding.