In front of you is an apparatus that can do a trillion operations for you in the time it takes your microwave to bring a cup of water to a boil.[1] But whereas

In front of you is an apparatus that can do a trillion operations for you in the time it takes your microwave to bring a cup of water to a boil.[1] But whereas entering how long you want your microwave to heat its contents is trivial, programming your CPU and GPU to do anything at all makes you about as qualified as someone who holds an undergraduate degree in the field of computing[2]. Like a priest at a time when hardly anyone could read and write, and being lettered itself was a distinction, anyone who can get their computer to do anything at all (i.e. to program it) has a rarified ability. Why is the analogy with literacy a good one: because you must communicate your intentions to the computer in writing. That is how you program. Yes, we have frameworks and models and API's and all sorts of helpful protocols and formulae to help you communicate with your PC and give you a mental framework. But at the end of the day, you are asking a machine to do something. And you're doing so in writing. The rest is literally formalities. [1] assuming dual-core desktop CPU stepping up to 2.7 GHz and mobile-class GPU or better; iPad 4 or iPhone 5S GPU capable of 76 GLFOPS or better; 700 watt microwave capable of boiling 1 cup of water in 1 minute and 30 seconds. [2] CS undergraduate degree does not guarantee that a candidate can program their PC.