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posted by martyb on Sunday September 24 2017, @11:02AM   Printer-friendly
from the Programming-Jobs dept.

Commentary from The Guardian

The rationale for this rapid curricular renovation is economic. Teaching kids how to code will help them land good jobs, the argument goes. In an era of flat and falling incomes, programming provides a new path to the middle class – a skill so widely demanded that anyone who acquires it can command a livable, even lucrative, wage.

This narrative pervades policymaking at every level, from school boards to the government. Yet it rests on a fundamentally flawed premise. Contrary to public perception, the economy doesn't actually need that many more programmers. As a result, teaching millions of kids to code won't make them all middle-class. Rather, it will proletarianize the profession by flooding the market and forcing wages down – and that's precisely the point.


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Sunday September 24 2017, @05:17PM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday September 24 2017, @05:17PM (#572380) Journal

    Training coders will drive wages down. Obviously, the same applies to any other career choice. Maybe we should just revolt, and stop allowing ourselves to be educated? Just say "NO!" to teachers. "No, I won't learn to spell!" "No, I won't learn to multiply!" Actually, that's a pretty late start for revolution. Tell your mama, "No, I won't be potty-trained! I'll poo wherever I want to!"

    That seems a self defeating strategy, doesn't it? One that only hurts the revolutionary, and doesn't faze those he is revolting against.

    Roger Waters said it better, albeit in a longer form.

    And it ends with "Break down the wall"

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
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