That is a great point -- maybe my argument should be appended to include the fact that CS makes it ridiculously easy to create and present a portfolio of work (

That is a great point -- maybe my argument should be appended to include the fact that CS makes it ridiculously easy to create and present a portfolio of work (GitHub pages!) which seems to be impossible in other fields. Regardless, it does seem that these few special traits that CS has allows it to be one of the few where it actually makes sense for a high schooler to build up experience & a body of work. I've seen teenagers submit great projects to HN and get feedback from the knowledgeable crowd here, that really seems to be impossible in any other field (unless you have connections).