Should I Encourage People to Learn Programming in 2025? I Don’t Think So.



This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by PRANTA Dutta

Alright, let’s cut the fluffy motivational poster nonsense. You’re here because you’ve probably thought, “Should I tell my friend/cousin/that one guy who can’t set up Wi-Fi to learn programming?” And here’s my brutally honest take in 2025:

No. Please. Stop. Let them be free.

Let me explain why this digital insanity needs to end—with proper examples, spicy humor, and a whole lot of keyboard-induced trauma.

💻 1. Everyone’s Already a “Developer”… Kind of

In 2025, everyone thinks they’re a dev.

  • Your uncle makes AI-generated memes? “I’m an AI prompt engineer.”
  • Your cousin made a Notion dashboard with pastel colors? “I’m a software architect.”
  • Some guy connected ChatGPT to a Google Sheet and now charges \$300/hr? “I build AI apps.”

At this point, teaching someone programming is like handing out guitars at a family reunion.
Yeah, sure. Everyone can learn, but should they? That’s a different kind of recursion.

⚰ 2. The Golden Era of Programming is Over (We’re in the “Dark Forest” Now)

Back in the day (aka 2012–2020), you could:

  • Slap jQuery into a page,
  • Host it on Firebase,
  • And boom — you’re a startup founder with VC money and a hoodie.

Now?
You need:

  • Kubernetes,
  • Docker,
  • CI/CD pipelines,
  • OAuth dance rituals,
  • And six browser tabs of Stack Overflow that all say “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

Encouraging someone to start now is like telling them to become a chef—but only if they grow their own vegetables, raise the cow, and learn molecular gastronomy. Oh and by the way, you’ll still get a 1-star Yelp review because “the plate was too hot.”

😩 3. AI Is Out Here Eating Jobs Like Pac-Man

Tell someone to learn to code in 2025 and next week they’ll discover ChatGPT-7 Ultra Max Pro is already doing 90% of the job.

You think I’m joking?

Human dev: “I’ll build this feature in two sprints.”
AI: “I’ve already built, tested, deployed, and A/B tested it. Also I named the variables better than you.”

Your poor student will learn JavaScript for 6 months and finally write their first todo app… only to be replaced by a guy who just prompts:

“Make a multi-region serverless backend that’s optimized for low-latency image processing.”
…while drinking a matcha latte.

🔧 4. Programming Is Just… Not What They Think It Is

People think they’ll be building cool apps. In reality:

Expectations:

“I’ll make a fitness app and sell it for billions!”

Reality:

npm install breaks for 4 hours because of an obscure dependency on left-pad.

Expectations:

“I’ll work from Bali and sip coconut water while coding.”

Reality:

You’re in your dusty room, debugging why the API returns a 500 error only when the moon is in Scorpio.

Learning programming in 2025 is less hacking the matrix and more crying in the shower because Git won’t merge without starting WW3.

🥴 5. We Have Enough Devs. We Need More Tech Therapists.

Honestly, what we really need now are:

  • People who can explain tech to normal humans
  • People who can ask “Why?” before building Yet Another Todo App™
  • People who can manage a team without saying “we’re like a family” and then ghost you during layoffs

You want to help people? Teach them product thinking, ethics in AI, or how to say “no” to a client who wants “just one more feature” on a \$50 budget.

✅ When It Does Make Sense to Learn Programming

Look, I’m not a total gatekeeper. There are still reasons to learn coding:

  • You genuinely love problem-solving and weird puzzles.
  • You’re the kind of person who enjoys broken things and yelling “WHY?” at your computer like it’s an ex who owes you money.
  • You don’t mind spending 3 hours figuring out why something doesn’t work, only to realize you forgot a semicolon.

If that’s you? Heck yeah, code away.
But don’t jump into it thinking it’s a free ticket to remote beaches and passive income.

👋 In Conclusion: Maybe Just… Don’t

You wouldn’t tell someone to become a surgeon just because scalpels are cool, right?
So maybe don’t tell everyone to become a programmer just because ChatGPT wrote a Python poem once.

Let people find their own chaos.
Let them try pottery.
Let them build IKEA furniture.
Let them experience joy before the inevitable despair of UnhandledPromiseRejection.

Because programming in 2025?

It’s not just code. It’s pain, coffee, and vibes.

If you still want to learn programming after reading this… congratulations, you’re one of us.
May your build succeed and your linter be kind.
🧑‍💻🫡


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by PRANTA Dutta