Compelling depends highly on which teenager you’re talking to. Some reasons that teenagers I know have chosen to program are: - To make video games - To make

Compelling depends highly on which teenager you’re talking to. Some reasons that teenagers I know have chosen to program are: - To make video games - To make web sites - Because programmers make money Some reasons that programming is a decent career choice: - It’s extremely transferable. The number and types of companies that need programmers is increasing every day. You can find good jobs almost anywhere, plus working remotely is now an option. - Nearly all fields of science, math & engineering now involve programming, even including many soft sciences. Research of all kinds has moved into computing environments for statistics. (As a small example, I help my brother who’s an anthropologist write software to do things like measure & categorize rabbit bones.) - There are many interesting problems to solve, and pretty much all businesses are interesting in automating expensive processes. Compelling reasons for me: - Making digital art. Using procedural techniques to make pictures is one of my favorite things ever. - Working out algorithms and solving problems and optimizing code is like doing puzzles, it’s a ton of fun. - I’ve helped make movies and video games, as well as web apps and other production software that millions of people have seen & used. Programming can be a good way to get involved in projects that feel important or culturally relevant.