[thrush]

What I think is cool about programming is that if you can understand a book, like the C Programming Language for example, then you can probably program. Although, being able to understand that book may take a little more work than just reading it (you might need some supplementary material). A lot of other pieces are soft skills for becoming a professional software engineer, such as time estimation, communication, version control, etc (soft skills in that they can likely be picked up on the job).

[collyw]

Yes, but the coding part is usually the easiest party about being a programmer. All the other skills and knowledge you mention are what makes me far more valuable than when I started 14 years ago.

[thrush]

I think there is a huge distinction between learning how to program, and becoming a valuable programmer. We need to decrease the barrier to entry, so that the more valuable skills (such as abstraction, optimization, security, etc.) are reachable for everyone and anyone.