Not everyone really needs to be great. The person who learns coding to scratch an itch like creating a small website for their family business just needs to know how to put their ideas on a screen.
But these initiatives that try to promise high paying jobs to everyone who applies, it's just not going to work out for everyone who goes through the mill. And yeah, I think to have a long career as a software developer, you need a little more than "meets expectations." You need the drive to improve and grow after you leave the program and even once you land your job. So, I think when you get a newbie who has passion, is personable, and who submits themselves to iterative improvement, I really do think that makes a great developer.
But these initiatives that try to promise high paying jobs to everyone who applies, it's just not going to work out for everyone who goes through the mill. And yeah, I think to have a long career as a software developer, you need a little more than "meets expectations." You need the drive to improve and grow after you leave the program and even once you land your job. So, I think when you get a newbie who has passion, is personable, and who submits themselves to iterative improvement, I really do think that makes a great developer.