Typically, having good reasons would precede encouragement. Why should they choose software engineering as a career? Isn't it a miserable occupation for many w

Typically, having good reasons would precede encouragement. Why should they choose software engineering as a career? Isn't it a miserable occupation for many without independent interest in the field? Don't many end up regretting it, having been goaded into it by overbearing parents, the promise of financial security, or a political movement to redistribute power from one faction to others? Doesn't the practical argument, that it's a good job, get weaker with each CS degree newly awarded? Writing software will become a necessary skill for people with primary knowledge of other domains. The market is soon to be super-saturated with generic "software engineers," most of them unprepared to do anything more than plumb Java business software or glue together knick-knack web apps. I would encourage these children to find an interest in the world at large, and let the software follow if needed.