> there a lot of good paying jobs in using programs to manipulate data There are even better-paying jobs in managing those people who are using programs to man

> there a lot of good paying jobs in using programs to manipulate data There are even better-paying jobs in managing those people who are using programs to manipulate data. > Maybe those kids are too young for that to be relevant, but that's also the best time to start learning. They're 10 and 13, not too young in my opinion to make a judgement call about what is of interest to them. I agree it's a good time to start learning, but my point is that it's probably not a useful subject to force upon people. Realistically, there will always be kids who feel intrinsically drawn towards computing. They'll learn it regardless. The question is what we do with the rest. Having been a programmer for more than 30 years, I'm hesitant to argue in favor of making more people embark on a career that involves programming than strictly necessary.