21–30 of 122 posts
I know someone who has a lot of tedious work to do. If they could program they'd be able to do it much more efficiently. They can use that time saved to do anything else they want to do, perhaps they could have earned a promotion rather than slaving away on a repetitive task.
The world moves forward through efficiency, and automation is one of the major factors in that.
At the very least it can give you some added analytical abilities. Like learning Excel.
Basic logic is part of this, as is process decomposition, as is just learning a new way of communicating and many other things.
Learning new ways of thinking makes us flexible individuals. It fosters creativity. These are skills we all need in society, but the modern economy especially.
This is actually, I think, a compelling argument (aimed at adults who are deciding what children will do, less so the children themselves) for almost any subject.
Programming a computer is a way of thinking. It in some ways involves the same thinking as determining how to break down a mechanical manufacturing process, or parts of team management (sport or industry), or legal arguments, or considering how biology works. Basic logic is part of this, as is process decomposition, as is just learning a new way of communicating and many other things. Learning new ways of thinking ma…
If they want to work with words or numbers, some basic programming will let them automate repetitive tasks and eliminate lots of boring work. Examples include simple calculations in spreadsheets, formatting writing for publication, filing work email, and automating invoices. It's a useful skill like being able to touch-type.
In any case, they should not be forced to program for its own sake, since that has a narrow appeal. Instead, they should program only to do things they actually care about.
For most teens the thing they grate against the most is lack of control over themselves and their direction. Programming puts you back in control. You can make a general purpose computer do anything you can imagine.
However... the parts of programming that are useful to everyone are applied logic, critical thinking, and 'debugging'. Being able to break down a problem, find a metaphor for a problem, evaluate what you know and don't know about a problem, etc are useful skills that apply everywhere, and that programming teaches really well. When something isn't working, being able to ascertain why by changing things one at a time, or by knowing that you can iterate to a solution instead of jumping to the last step, are immensely powerful ways of thinking about things.
There may be other ways to teach those skills instead of abstracting them to programming but I've not encountered any good ones yet.
So, let's rephrase that question. "What's a reason that might compel young people the most to learn how to program?"
Subtle difference, but makes for a far more interesting debate.
For instance, there will be kids who become inspired by video games and will be wanting to make their own. Some will start to scour the Web for resources and experiment with tools like, maybe, Unity or Godot, on their own. Others might be interested, but be entirely put off by the idea once they realize what the subject matter entails. And that's, actually, totally fine and valid.
Even so, I think general curriculum should at least provide a few lessons of basic computing to anyone. Enough to get everyone the basic idea and demystify what happens behind the curtains in broad strokes.