We have all seen the push for people to join science majors. Whether it be when you enter your science class and see the GEMs and STEMs posters plastered everywhere, or viewed commercials sponsored by phone companies trying to get your attentio­­n­, the pressure’s there.

Nevertheless, requiring a coding class may actually deter people from the fascinating field of science. Not only is the idea of requiring all 658 Chicago public schools, which includes 400,000 students, to take a coding class unnecessary and costly, the job market for computer programing is turbulent and region-dependent. A coding class that teaches computer programing and formatting should remain a viable option, but not a requirement.

For students not interested in computer programing, this class is a waste of time when instead they could be learning something useful for their future endeavors. The opposition will say that coding will be as common as changing a tire in the future, but this is hardly the case.

The required core classes in Illinois create a renaissance student. Even if you never do anything with science again in your life, the problem solving skills and different ways of approaching a question will help you in any prospective job.

Coding, however, doesn’t challenge your mental capabilities. You will not take away anything bigger than learning how to code. For people uninterested in entering the world of computer science, this potentially required class will become yet another burden on their already very heavy work schedule.

The money that would be required to make coding mandatory would send the city of Chicago into $1 billion of debt in the 2015 fiscal year. This money would be essentially allocated to expand the Chicago public school systems. Such a decision is incredibly risky, given the fact that we cut at least $100 million worth of funds in the 2013-2014 school year. Along with this, teachers are being laid off left and right. A coding class is not the best solution to the problem at hand. Not only will all kids K-12 be forced to do something that will not give them any new learning skills aside from just the basic coding measures, but this will actually cause an influx of debt as well.

This idea has good intentions, but Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel needs to focus on keeping the actual core curriculum at a higher standard before adding more classes resulting in an across-the-board mediocre education. This idea is too ambitious for the fragile state of Chicago right now and will not reap the benefits that they project in the long run.