Okay, so imagine you are building a sandcastle on the beach. You start by making a big pile of sand and then shaping it with your hands and tools to create different parts of the castle, like towers, walls and moats. This is a lot like how a programmer builds software. They start with an idea or concept and then use programming languages to create different parts of the software, like buttons, text boxes, and other features.
Now, just like how you need to keep your sandcastle from crumbling and falling apart, programming also needs to be constantly updated and improved over time. This is where things start to get tricky. In the past, American programmers were some of the best in the world. They had access to the latest tools and technologies, and were able to work on some of the most important projects in the world.
However, over time, things started to change. Other countries began investing more in their own programming education and technology infrastructure, and they began producing more skilled programmers themselves. This meant that there was more competition for American programmers, and as a result, wages started to stagnate and even decline.
At the same time, many companies began outsourcing their programming work to other countries, where labor costs were lower. This meant that fewer jobs were available for American programmers, and many of them found themselves struggling to find work. This has led to a decline in the number of American programmers over time, and some have even argued that this could have a negative impact on the competitiveness of American businesses and the economy as a whole.
So, just like how a sandcastle can crumble and fall apart if it isn't properly maintained, the decline and fall of the American programmer can be traced back to a lack of investment in education and technology, as well as increased competition from other countries.