Dave Winer has nailed the essence of programming in response to the code.org campaign. In it Dave talks about programming for the love of the craft, and not programming for money.
He makes some good examples out of sports, music, and art.
Suppose I said you should learn to play basketball because you can make a lot of money doing it. I wonder how Chris Bosh would feel about that. Or if I said you should learn to create music for the same reason?
You don’t learn an art to make money – you learn it because it’s fun and satisfying. Because it’s what you were meant to do. You do it because you like it so much that it’s what you want to do every day of your life. Because you want to get really good at it.
I love this. Programming is art, and to be an artist you have to feel something. I have to be driven to create software, and that drive is never fueled solely by money.
Learn to program to create something amazing.