It seems I encounter more and more economists, scientists, and miscellaneous other professionals that have jobs that involve programming on some level. More and more, the jobs that my peers have in many many technical professions involve at least some simple scripting if not something more involved. It seems it used to be that "software engineer" was a distinct profession, now its becoming just another skill like writing -- something that any serious technical professional should be able to use for their job. I see a future where programming is essential to getting any kind of technical/mathematical job. Extrapolating on my anecdotal view of my colleagues... Will the kids of the future become literate in programming in the same way they become readers/writers? Will it become so fundamental to our economy and society that it will be taught at an early age? Will interacting with computers be as important as interacting with other people?