This text you are reading, and what I am writing is a part of an art invented around 3100 BC. The art of Writing. This was a very important part of our history, for it was the art of writing that gave us Humans further edge over other animals in the planet, and delivered us the power to communicate on a humongous scale. The skill of writing was what played a major role in the establishment of medieval religions and empires.
Back in the medieval period, a written script was considered to hold absolute truths about everything, and those who didn’t know how to read and write had to simply bow down and respect the intellectual power possessed by those who were able to understand the scriptures. From then until now, the art of writing has evolved. Now we have over 100 languages we could use to write and express scripts, rules, emotions, and expressions.
Reading and Writing is the first thing young kids learn in schools before any other subject. Everything in the present day that you read on the internet, every news, every article is a result of writing. Communication through emails and social media platforms would have never been possible if we humans were never able to write.
If you are confused as to what writing has to do with Computer Science. Then just know this one thing. What you’re reading and seeing on this web page is the result of lots of computer codes which run this website and allow you to read this through your internet enabled device. With the use of Computers from the 1990’s, the World started to realize the potential of Computers and the Internet.
The rest is well-known to us. Almost everything we use currently is in some ways a result of complex computer algorithms created through coding and programming. As Humans are advancing in the fields of IT and Computing day by day, the need for the physical capabilities of humans is constantly decreasing.
In the future, lies an era where machines are more valuable than humans.
The ancient wars were fought with the use of swords, shields and the raw strength of Human Soldiers. The modern wars, on the other hand, if ever fought, wouldn’t consist of stories of the bravery of soldiers, but instead, might glorify the role of AI technology influenced weapons which caused massive destruction on rival cities.
Today, the geniuses behind advanced tactical weapons and vehicles developed by several countries today are considered more important than the soldiers in the army. Even the tactics used by soldiers today consist mostly of modern tech-driven devices which allow more work to be done in less amount of time.
We are progressing into an era where the basic human capabilities might be considered inferior to a creation of Computer Programming, which ironically has been invented by humans themselves.
The beginning of this era is already visible if you haven’t opened your eyes yet. As more and more Physical jobs are replaced by Computer- programmed bots, the need for basic physical & mental skills is constantly decreasing. With automation technologies arriving so quickly in every field of work we know, humans once again need to hold control of a power which would elevate them to a higher level, just like what the knowledge of reading and writing did to the medieval era Humans.
The power here is obviously the Art of Computer Programming and coding. With each day our dependency on technology is increasing, at this rate, a day where technology completely controls us does not seem to be far-fetched. This would definitely be the future unless every human knows how to control and modify technology according to their needs.
Just like the skills of reading and writing are compulsory in the modern world. The skills of coding would be compulsory in the future. If today, you feel sad about your old grandparents for not understanding the English language. In the near future, your grandchildren might feel just the same for you when you wouldn’t be able to understand the basic coding languages. There is currently enough evidence to prove that the skill of Coding and Computer Programming is going to be the new standards by which our literacy rates would be measured.
This, however, does not imply that Computer Science is the only field where people should be working right now, but this should be a field everyone must be knowing something about. Just as the Peon of an Office in Delhi might know the same amount of Hindi compared to the Head manager of the office. In a similar way, in the future, everyone from the poorest to the richest might have the need to know the basics of coding.
There is no need to worry now though. If the current rate of tech advancement says anything, such an era where computer programming knowledge would be equal to the ABC’s and 1,2,3’s of today would take a lot of time to arrive, and before that time comes, we have ample amount of time to prepare ourselves for the future.