What OP means is that this person is following a long term plan which will eventually turn out to make them miserable since they don't really have a passion for

What OP means is that this person is following a long term plan which will eventually turn out to make them miserable since they don't really have a passion for software engineering. Hence, it is analogous to following a plan for the board games instead of adjusting to the random element. The random element here is how your talents and interests develop.