Can you describe the function of the Java Scripting API?
Even though systems engineers are not software programmers, they should be familiar with general software programming concepts. This will enable them to be better prepared to troubleshoot and repair issues with the software. Having some basic programming skills is not a bad idea either. Even if you don't write code, you'll still recognize bugs in the software and be familiar with the issues they can cause.
"An API is a piece of code which enables the individual software applications and hardware to work with each other. The Java Scripting API consists of many distinct modules. Each of these publishes a set of related classes and functions the software uses to perform its designed task. Some modules are published only to the JavaScript scripting language. Other scripting languages, such as AppleScript and VBScript, offer their own built-in functionality."
