Often they'll aim for video games or something like that but I often warn them that it might not be nearly as cool as they imagine. You're more likely to

Often they'll aim for video games or something like that but I often warn them that it might not be nearly as cool as they imagine. You're more likely to end up scripting crappy menu systems than being the next Carmack. Interestingly, Carmack himself said if he wouldn't write videogames, he would work on databases. I can't find the exact quote, but here's a similar reference: I enjoy lots of different areas of it [programming]... I'm taking a great deal of enjoyment writing device drivers for Linux. I could also be having a good time writing a database manager or something because there are always interesting problems.