According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a computer programmer was $77,550 per year in 2014. Most computer programmers have a Bachelor’s degree.

In Scratch, students have an array of basic computer coding commands at their disposal — such as "when the space bar is pressed, a object will move three steps to the right." The Scratch interface.

MitziAnna Chan, 7, Wheatley Heights, practices how to write basic computer code during the "Hour of Code" class held at Park Shore Day Camp in Dix HIlls, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. Credit: Steve Pfost ...

This week, thousands of events around the world are encouraging computer-coding literacy. "Coding is really about creative self-expression and storytelling," says Mitchel Resnick of MIT's Media Lab.