Do programmers need to be smart?

You might have seen hacker scenes in movies or NASA rocket coding snippets with an insane amount of numbers and other weird symbols. Movies give ridiculous impressions 90% of the time and code does not have to use advanced skills obtained through elevated education. Learning to code or program is the same as learning any other language, but for computers. The only real challenge is dedicating the time to learn.

Who can code?

Back in high school and middle school, people thought I was really smart because I could code. Even as an adult, I still see that people are impressed. I'm your average guy. Probably slower than most. Albeit, I am very much competent as a coder. You don't need to have incredible math skills to code. My point is that anyone can code and you don't need an elevated education. Middle schoolers can code. I was coding games at 13 years old. Being active in coding communities, I've met 14-year-olds coding complex game engine cheats.

Mathematic requirements

To ever say that math is needed, I would say that you need basic algebra skills at the most. I mostly only ever use math to calculate the sum of something like a member count. Maybe use algebra for a shopping cart to determine the total price and factoring discounts.

Think of coding as an incredibly flexible tool. Although you don't need high math skills, the additional skills could be complimentary. For example, being proficient with geometry can help you create custom mechanics in a game engine. Lack of high math skills? You can use a pre-built game engine like Unity to make your own full-fledged game. Many game engines come with pre-built solutions for stuff like animations, physics, and lighting. This leaves you will little requirement for math skills.

Anything compliments

Math isn't the only skill that compliments coding. Again, coding is extremely flexible. If you're great with the English language, you can create a grammar correction tool using your English knowledge. If you're great with chemistry, then you can make a tool to predict atomic reactions. If you're a fast-food worker, then you can create a website for tips. If you're an influencer like a YouTuber or Instagrammer, you can make a tool to generate leads based on recent trends.

Summary

You don't need to be incredibly smart to make awesome programs/software/code. Coding is just another skill and tool. Leveraging it along with other skills you already know is what helps you make awe-worthy creations.