I agree with some aspects of
davido's statement on the barrier of entry in programming. My agreement is in actual experience, I was applying EVERY WHERE for at least 6 months before I even got a response back from anyone. Most jobs that I see online ask for at least 1-3 years experience minimum.
I disagree with
davido's statement in the reasons you described. In short, programming is clearly more accessible than it was in the past.