I think we programmers tend to see coding as akin to reading, if you can't code you don't even get the chance to get into other stuff because you're missing the most basic skill of software engineering, the ability to make a computer do what you want it to do. No one interviews for "software engineer" and wants someone who can barely code, writing code is virtually always the number one requirement of the job.

If fact when I hire, I require a small programming project be completed (simple, save some objects to a file and read them back out passing this unit test), that is the resume, if you can't code I won't even look at any other credentials. Rookie programmers with only a few years experience often do far better at this task than people claiming a decade of experience. The most experienced people often completely fail the test.