The funny thing is that, even though I didn't predict LLMs like Chat GPT, I wrote a Chicago Business Journal column back in 2017 where I said that coding is not the most important skill for students to learn. I said it was communication.
Even back then I knew that the hype over coding boot camps and "all kids should code" was overdone. While I think all students should take at least one computer science / programming course, the most important skills to learn are how to communicate and think critically.
There are plenty of people (and now AI) that can write code to solve straight-forward problems (like those found as exercises in an exam or textbook). What's needed are people who can look at the messy, real world, with all its data, and define the straight forward problems that will have the most impact.
Even back then I knew that the hype over coding boot camps and "all kids should code" was overdone. While I think all students should take at least one computer science / programming course, the most important skills to learn are how to communicate and think critically.
There are plenty of people (and now AI) that can write code to solve straight-forward problems (like those found as exercises in an exam or textbook). What's needed are people who can look at the messy, real world, with all its data, and define the straight forward problems that will have the most impact.
© 2025 Praveen Puri
