Coders don't like to hear this, but coding is basically a commodity now, and a fairly low-value one for most IM work. I never learned a bit of coding (unless you count BASIC, which I probably know 10 commands in), and I can honestly say its never held me back from building some pretty large online businesses. Would it be nice at times if I knew a lick of php or java so I could fix some mundane little thing without waiting for a team member or outsourced 3rd-worlder to do it for me? Sure, but it'd be "nice" to speak fluent Hungarian too, that doesn't mean it is worth the time involved vs what I'd get out of it. If your business isn't completely dependent on knowing the intricacies of the source code, or you dont just love doing it, your time is better spent working on other strengths you have vs spending all that effort to become no better than a outsourced Odesker working for pocket change.
Before the coding crowd comes after me with pitchforks, realize that I do think there is serious value in top-level coding, in terms of architecture and true "development", but the actual mundane act of typing out actual programming code is something that can be done quite cheaply, and just as effectively, by someone with 10 years of experience making $6 an hour. If you like to code, great, but viewing it as any type of necessity to be successful in IM is inaccurate. It's something that can be easily outsourced for pennies on the dollars in time you would have to invest to develop yourself into anything more than a rudimentary coder, who often end up creating more work for themselves then if they never knew a bit of coding.
