Agreed. In fact, this is the same line of reasoning my teachers used in elementary school when we asked them "Why do we need to learn how to add/subtract/multiply/divide, when calculators can do it automatically for us?" And the answer is still the same: you need to have done it the "manual" way before you can understand what the machine is doing for you.
I only understand what a compiler is doing after having written one (albeit a tiny one) myself during my studies.
I only understand what a compiler is doing after having written one (albeit a tiny one) myself during my studies.